This book was as gripping as any I have ever read. (and I have read quite a few) The journey of Greg Halstead through BUD/S training was especially good, I enjoyed the introduction of a new character. If you have read the other four books in this series, or if you are a newcomer, this one is a MUST HAVE!

The 5th book delivers as much action as the previous 4 do! This book always keeps you on edge living out the adventures of Navy SEALs in Vietnam. I found it very hard to put down, and like all of Riker's other books, I couldn't put it down! I highly recommend this book!

I, being 16 years old and fasinated by military genre books andsuch, find this book amazing. I've already read Purple Heart, BronzeStar, and Navy Cross. After reading Medal of Honor, the book series was getting better and better. This series is excellent and H. Jay Riker is an excellent writer. I wish I could meet the man behind these great novels. I'm now reading Silver Star (wasn't at the bookstore till recently) and I truely love it. I like the books about the SEALs over the UDT books, but without the UDT, there would be no SEALs. I only hope H. Jay Riker continues to write about SEALs and makes books like these.

I stumbled upon this book while searching for something to bide my time on a flight and was pleasantly suprised. Though the central storyline of the novel was more or less predictable, it was the peripheral action that I enjoyed. The banter between Joe Dolan and his buddy Surfer led me back to my collegiate days and the unforgettable talks about absolutey nothing. The accounts of the action on the rugby pitch would make any participants of the gentleman's game nod their heads with a knowing grin. Obviously I am not a polished reviewer of popular fiction, but I feel that I represent a large number of readers that really enjoy hanging out in the backyard with a good book and a few beers. "Caveman Politics" is perfect for that very situation.

I picked-up this book nearly two years ago at a book fair and forgot about it. I found it in my cellar last week, and finally got around to reading it. Had I known how well written it was, I would have treated it more carefully....

As a former journalist, and someone who has played a little rugby, this novel sprang to life for me. As soon as I put it down, I logged on to see if J. Atkinson has had anything else published. I hope we won't have to wait too long for his next work.

Jay Atkinson is a gem in the rough, a writer who has penned a book which uses sport to uncover and illuminate the human condition. The story of Joe Dolan's brush with salvation is our story... as we hurl ourselves through the confusion of life. If this talented storyteller doesn't shake up the literary world for years to come, then publishing really has gone over to the dark side.

Contending for the faith "handed down" to us from the prophets, The Prophet, and the apostles to us, is the theme of this book, but without being contentious.

This flowed out of Seminary experience of editors to refute scholarly attempts to undo the handed down truth of Scriptures.

My ambivalence with this well written work is that it tends to fluctuate with on one hand suggest that the church must take the world of thought back through apologetics, and on the other hand, refute through apologetics attempts within the "visible" church the faith of our fathers.

I'm all in support of the latter, given the analogy in St. Paul of likening false teaching to yeast and its quick spread and dough dominance if left undealt with. To this I concur and endorse these enthusiastic apologists of the first class.

However, to suggest that the culture dominated by secular, deceived thinking can be countered with apologetics is naive and unbiblical to this reviewers way of confession. However, to be sure we cannot nor must be be discouraged to continue apologetics to the unbelieving world, but our sites must only be as "a minfield" clearing exercise that the Gospel might be heard in its purity. Prophecy predicts what we are seeing, both in and outside the visible church, e.g. 2 Tim. 4 and those who refuse to follow true doctrine and find and establish false teachers who tickle their ears. This has always been in the church of Christ and world, but we who are of the body of Christ are to be aware of this, test the spirits and develop discernment through constant time in God's Word (Heb. 5). When all the dust settles on theological debate within the visible church, true confession of the faith handed down can be the only practice that counts!

Thus, I commend this excellent collection of concise, precise apologetics with this mild comment. There is much here to chew on, pass on, e.g. "Christian apologetics that's worthy of the name is a call to martyrdom--perhaps not a martyrdom where we spill our blood (although this too may be required) but a martyrdom where we witness to the truth without being concerned about our careers, political correctness, the current fashion or toeing the party line." "Indeed, we have permitted the collective thought of the world to be controlled by ideas that prevent Christianity from being regarded as anything but a harmless delusion. It needs to be emphasized that we, the Christians, the church of Jesus Christ, have done this." "One we thoroughly understand a false idea, we need no longer be intimidated by it." "The Christian apologist is a contender for the faith, not merely a seeker after truth."

(...) What about this book? I read it and enjoyed its several essays. Although I am in no position to review its conclusions on the several domains (critique of naturalism, authority of scripture, virgin birth, the incarnation, design in science, etc), I tend to agree with the main conclusions. I also favour the return of apologetics to theology courses, as long as it is done with intellectual rigour. The entire point of the book seems to be that the premisse you start with really makes a difference on the way you deal with the main tenets of the christian faith. The main alternatives are:

1. Nobody created Nature. Nature developed intelligent beeings by pure chance (random mutation and natural selection). Our lives have no meaning. Some may try to find meaning for life, some may not. Some my even try to destroy life. Why not? Since there is no meaning, there is also no absolute moral and ethical norms. Madre Teresa and Osama Bin Laden are just a bunch of selfish genes trying to survive. Genocide may be considered a normal and legitimate strategy of gene survival, as Charles Darwin and many evolutionists acknowleged. Who can blame them for that? Even if it is the result of pure chance, our intelligence is suficiently powerful and reliable to be the measure of all knowledge. You can trust your selfish genes for that. You can also enjoy a free lunch and relax while you listen to a just-so story.

2. God may have created Nature, and let it develop into intelligent beeings by pure chance. God did not create Man in his image. He simply may have accepted the results of the evolutionary process with fair play. In fact we don't know that. There is no evidence of God whatsoever. If he exists, that's the philosophers and theologians problem. Let them speculate. In the real world (if there is one), objective science sees no place for God and no fingerprints of its presence. Faith is purely subjective and precarious. Knowledge is totally objective and reliable. They never meet in the real world. Here again you can trust your selfish genes for that. Here too, you can enjoy a free lunch while you listen to a just-so story.

3. God created man in his image. Subjective reason and objective matter have their own foundation in the Absolute Logos. Both are the product of intelligent design. Probabilities theory, design theory, complexity theory and information theory allow us to make a design inference scientifically beyond reasonable doubt. There is no free lunch here. There are no just-so stories. The complex specified information that structures matter also makes it intelligible and renders both possible and meaningful objective knowledge by our subjective reasons. You can trust the Word that became flesh and lived among us, for that. He is the source of all intelligence, all information, all matter, all life, all love, all freedom. He became flesh so that flesh can know the Word. He did it in a way that respects our freedom to accept or reject. If we accept him and his revelation as the foundation of all truth, instead of trusting our own "naturalistic-bunch-of-particles-reason", things start making sense. It even promotes the progress of mankind. Remember that all data shows that those countries mostly influenced by the genuinely christian revelation (the Inquisition, or the Index Librorum Prohibitorum have no place in that), tend enjoy stable democracies, economic progress, human rights protection and the rule of law.

This approach helped the authors of the essays that make this book make sense of problems that are complicated only for naturalism. I advise its reading.

While the discipline of apologetics has fallen into disuse and disfavor among mainline scholars who have subscribed to a more pluralistic philosophy, this intrepid group of Princeton alumni battle to keep that old apologetic spirit, so integral to "Old Princeton", alive and well. They succeed admirably. Many issues are tackled in this book, especially naturalism and the effect it has had on biblical and theological studies. The book reads like a conservative theological journal, and, believe me, I would be thrilled to see more books from this group on the market. Every person preparing to enter seminary or study religion in a college setting should read this book and keep it handy for research purposes. Although some subjects could have been developed further (the chapter on universalism ended much too soon), all in all it is an outstanding resource.

As a working stand-up comic, I found this book extremely helpful, particularly in dealing with "hell gigs," the necessary bane of every comic's existence. Jay Sankey clearly knows of what he speaks, and my performance has improved considerably as a result. If you're a working comic, or want to be, this book will be worth its weight in gold to you.

I collect humorous stories - sales blunders, actually. So I wanted a book that would help me as a professional speaker to be as funny as possible. Speakers, like comedians, get paid more when their audience laughs more.

So I began buying all the comedy writing books and most are pretty good. Buy Jay's is first of all, hilariously funny (bonus!) and second, more insightful than anything else. He discusses the psychology of the performer and the audience. He has little, interesting, no - fascinating details I found nowhere else.

Funny cartoons, creativity galore, inspiration and encouragement for anyone dipping into comedy or getting a dunking in it.

Best book on the block on this topic!

I've read a lot of bad books on stand-up comedy, all of them except this one. This is the only good one I've read. After I read this, I did stand-up for the first time at a bar for 30 people. The next week I was in the Comedy Central/Miller Lite Lite 'n Up competition at Comedy Works in Denver for a packed house each time I performed. Out of 100 people, and over the course of 2 months of performing, I got third place. Since then I've moved to Chicago and got booked at Zanie's. A lot of that had to do with the book. It cuts through to the chase.

This Sequal to the first book is great, I spent 1 day 1/2 on it! T think that this is the way to get people like me to want to read, Montavon has really done well, he will be a Millionare yet! Hopefully his winning sterik will continue!

This was the coolest thing that I have done in a long time. It was so exciting reading the book and then going to the internet to look for the clues. The internet scenes felt like I was playing a video game. I actually enjoyed reading and being part of the choose your own adventure experience.

The new Digital Detective Mysteries have the potential to be the 21st century version of the old favorites Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew mysteries that I enjoyed as a child. This is a great way to have kids enjoy reading and become familiar with the world wide web. I look forward to purchasing the next book as soon as it's available and collect the whole series for my children. Keep them coming, Mr. Montavon!

This is one of the most disappointing music purchases I have ever made. Part of my disappointment stems from my love for the music of Rich Mullins. I expected to find the book full of Rich's songs. The book does not contain a single song of Rich's. Instead it is an introductory book on chording using the dulcimer. Unless you are just beginning the dulcimer, there are probably much better books on the market. Any introductory book that comes with a CD would be better. This book will NOT teach you to play like Rich. Chords on the dulcimer? Yes. The way Rich played them? Barely.

I'm almost shamed that I believed the author's comments about learning to play Rich's music. What a come on. Perhaps I read a bit into the title, but to use the name of Rich's band on the cover, and then not even have one of his songs in the book borders on false advertising. Almost 25% of the book is chord charts for YOU TO FILL IN: that's right - effectively empty space. Another 25% are chord charts. Once again, unless you know nothing about music or the dulcimer, the chord charts are worthless. Visit the Kitchen Musician site. Forget this book. The book selection at KM is better and cheaper. Just don't buy anything that does not have a CD or Tape.

Sorry Jay, I hope you'll accept my apologies; why don't you really put a book together that covers Rich's music? Or call the book what it is: A Beginners Book on Hammered Dulcimer Chording.

I am quite confused by a previous review by Ray who slammed this book. He evidently DID NOT read the editorial review and somehow created in his own mind that this was a collection of Rich Mullins music or something. I don't know why Ray would want to document his stupidity for all to read. He is the kind of person that made Rich angry. I teach hammered dulcimer and I purchased this book out of curiosity because I enjoy Rich's music. I now recommend it to all my students as a foundational playing style even if they don't know who Rich Mullins is becuase it is such a versatile technique. This book will teach anyone to play the hammered dulcimer ragamuffin style the way Rich Mullin's played. My students learn the technique very quickly and it generates quite a bit of excitement for them. Dr. Kidwell tells you that this book is an instructional book that will get you started playing the hammered ducimer ragamuffin style. Indeed, the book teaches the ragamuffin style very effectively and goes further by providing some simplified music theory so you can quickly progress into more and more difficult songs. Ray also stated that this book did not come with a CD which is true. It does come with ONLINE RESOURCES that include sound files to play along with and quick videos that SHOW you what the hammering patterns should look like. There are also links to Rich Mullins songs etc. Actually, Dr. Kidwell did a splendid job in constructing a very simple, yet, effective instruction method for what appears to be a complicated playing style. I certainly have enjoyed the book and my students love it. Dr. Kidwell, pay no attention to Ray, you are right on with this book! Thanks

I have had a hammered dulcimer with the hope of learning to play the way that Rich Mullins did for quite a few years. I read all the instruction I could get my hands on to no avail. Finally - Yes Finally - I saw Hammered Dulcimer Ragamuffin Style! and got a copy. Wow! In just a matter of an hour or so I was playing along with some of Rich's music off a CD. People have heard me play and can't believe I have only been playing for a couple of weeks. I am now learning to embellish the patterns in the book and am very excited about what I'll be able to do a few months from now. Great book! Simple and effective.

This book is good--certainly better than many college admissions books--but it's far from being great. First, while much of the advice seems solid, the details are sparse. We could use more facts and examples to back up the advice. Second, while the author has some opinions on colleges, he doesn't explain many of them. Allen, in College Admissions Trade Secrets, has loads of strong opinions but usually explains them and gives facts to back them up. Third, what about the kids who just want to go to Harvard or Princeton? Taylor's advice is often more "why do you want to go to Harvard?" than helping kids understand how to get into Harvard. Once again, if you want insider tips for getting into a top college, you'll need to buy a book by Allen, Hernandez or perhaps Toor. Taylor's book does a great job of convincing applicants that being rejected from Yale isn't the end of the world -- but other books do a better job of explaining how to get admitted to Yale.

Mathews' biggest points are to find a college that fits, be your self, and you can be, as many others have done, a success without an elite school degree. "A college, like a new suit, has to fit. I don't care if it is number one on the U.S. News & World Report list and has an endowment of $20 billion. If it does not offer the courses and activities that feed your soul, it is no good. If the dorms are awash in alcohol and you only drink tea, if there is no football team and you ache to yell your lungs out on Saturday afternoon, if the economics department is Keynesian and Milton Friedman is your man, go somewhere else."
"Unfortunately, many seventeen-year-olds don't enjoy analyzing their likes and dislikes in such detail. I was like that when I was their age, and the teenagers I know today are the same. They will latch onto two or three things that strike them as pleasing or annoying but not conduct a full audit. And they will let other people set their agenda for them, including the college recruiters and tour guides who want them to choose a particular school."
Earlier this week I was thinking about my early encounters with Bill Veeck, the outspoken White Sox owner and author, who had some unconventional fan-oriented ideas about improving baseball. I started this book with its challenge to conventional wisdom sounding title and its early telling of how the author had started out at Occidental and did not appreciate how good an education he was getting until he transferred to Harvard where his courses "were full of contradictory theories that gave me a headache."
Mathews continued his outspokenness with "Your friends may tell you being admitted to a college with a luminous name will guarantee a life of happiness, but all the available evidence suggests they are wrong. Getting into a brand-name school like Yale, Stanford, or Amherst will not alter your occupational, financial, and romantic future any more than buying that French colonial on Elm Street. As we shall see, the notion that the brand-name schools can guarantee high salaries and satisfying careers for all their graduates is a scam. The success of many graduates of Ivy League schools is a matter of qualities established long before they ever got to college and has little, if anything, to do with what they learned or whom they met at those great universities."
Even if what he says is true about Harvard, his being a Harvard alumnus makes his statements more credible. If he was a state university graduate criticizing Harvard he might be regarded as jealous. While he continues
"While at Harvard I learned that many Ivy Leaguers, including me, assumed that we would one day wield great power. But once out in the real world, I've learned that my faith in the triumph of the elite was not well founded. Elite school graduates are not more immune that anyone else to the widening gap between youthful expectations and adult lives."
Mathews quotes a Harvard professor about the great importance of learning outside classes: "When we asked students to think of a specific, critical incident or moment that had changed them profoundly, four-fifths of them chose a situation or event outside of the classroom."
Mathews openly admits some biases: He prefers larger schools because they offer more surprises although he preferred the education he received at Occidental to that at Harvard. He dislikes the SATs although he does suggest that they might help a student with weaker grades.
Some of Mathews' theories I agree with such as the importance of fit. His theory that colleges are looking for students with a passion.
Some the aspects of college admissions that outrage him are not very well known such as the massive wait lists with very little movement off of them at many elite schools.
A former Harvard professor, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, died this week. He like Mathews had a provocative effect on many as he "never shrank from following evidence wherever it led and speaking his mind when he got there." Some of Mathews' comments about elite schools and the disadvantage of going to elite high schools will enrage many who are deeply invested in those institutions.

This is a marvellous book. It will make a college search fun and successful.I highly recommend it to both parents and college seekers. The advice on what to do if you are wait-listed at the college that is your first choice is worth the price of the book alone.The back of the book contains ratings on 100 colleges and smaller universities where a student can get a high quality education. Start at the top and work your way down the list. Their is a school on this list that is just right for you.

Fop Flop In the most elegant apparel Nothing but worm silks In the finest golden thread And superior king red velvet sashes

You'd think I would have known better? I couldn't blame them who wouldn't? cut air with scissors while sewing their needles into invisible cloth for the very low price of..... silk a loom golden thread a full bag of coins Oh those Villain Scoundrels! Now, I know not to buy such vestments with rather large investments Oh what a bratty gnatty I was For I thought I was cool but truly a fool Why emperor you look rather bare, that's quite rare! I was in such a pursuit For only a birthday suit I must admit now Me, My very own self yes indeed, your emperor himself have become a stupid and incompetent dandy All for the Imaginary Image! and now I live happily ever after, no more garb well, that is until the next apparel discovery (Now if you'll excuse me there's a clothier waiting at my door who says he's created the latest design in Pajama attire)

Generally, I do not care for audio books; many of the readers speak in a dull voice that rapidly drives me either away from the story or to sleep. However, there are a few exceptions; this is one.

Understand, that this is not the normal audio book; this edtion has a large cast of actors who collaborated to produce this item as a fund raiser for Starbright.

The result is an ensemble piece that is witty and charming. Part of the fun for me, was guessing who was reading before looking at the cast list included in the box.

Other folks feel that this isn't for children; I don't know as I don't have children, but I found that my "inner child" was highly entertained for 40 minutes with this tape.

If you are a fan of one or more of the actors in this edition or like puns (there are many here!), then you will probably like the Starbright edtion of the Emporer's New Clothes.

I had been given 2 of these books from a friend and I decided to see if there were anymore. My son loves this book. He's now working on reading the adult side. It's a great idea to have a page each, 1 for the adult and 1 for the child. We have several of these books now and I see my son sitting down and reading them on his own.

A nice collection of artists, with some great examples of what they can do. But....
Paper stock is poor and some prints are a bit blurry.

This is a great artbook, featuring many famous furry artists. I love the art, and look at it regularly. If you're a fan of Michele Light, I recommend it.

This book started my physical collection of furry publishings, and still remains the best singal pice I have. Not only is it perfectaly published, but contains excellent examples of anthropomorphic artwork. Its my personal bible.

I bought this book because of an enduring love affair with the literary works of Walker Percy. As an addition to the literary biographies of Percy written by Samway and Tolson, the letters serve their purpose well. As a letters volume on its own merits, The Correspondence of Shelby Foote and Walker Percy is unbalanced. Apparently, Foote didn't start saving Percy's letters until the exchange had been occurring for some time. Nevertheless, it is thoroughly interesting to observe Foote's massive ego as he lectures Percy, having the knowledge that Percy ultimately became the far greater literary star. If you've already delved deeply into the work and history of Walker Percy, you'll need this book. If not, find a different starting place, this is not a good place to begin.

This was a great read, but each of the correspondents disappointed in their own ways. Percy's letters are written in an intelligent but notably vague style; Foote's have more bite and literary polish, but at the same time display a nasty streak in his personality that remained invisible in his brilliant _Civil War_.

It's a bit sickening to watch on as Foote seduces the wife of a local doctor, and later recommends to Percy (oh so wittily) that he use pillows to prop up the crotches of female UNC undergrads so that they might better serve his wishes.

On the bright side, it is hilarious to watch Foote react to a letter from a clueless librarian accusing him of failing to mention Gettysburg in his history (she seems not to have realized that it was a multi-volume work). Even more importantly, the entire collection is thought-provoking.

Pity Shelby Foote. Most people know his as a writer of books on the Civil War. But when you read this book of letters you see that what thrilled him most was reading great literature.

The reader of this book of letters between two friends will be thrilled by talk of literature. Foote is like Herr Settembrini of Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain". He is so overwhelmed by humantistic learning that he finds he must educate his friend and mentor Hans Castrop, in this case Walker Percy.

It is ironic that the prodigy in this case, Walker Percy, soon eclipses the mentor. Walker Percy agonizes in his early letters about his inability to have his novels published while Foote publishes his books in rapid succession. But today Percy's "Moviegoer" and other books are still read while only Foote's "Shiloh" is really still popular. It seems Foote is stuck with Civil War fame have written his long classic on the war.

Reading Foote's letters is where I discovered Flanney O'Connor. Walker Percy and Shelby Foote spoke highly of her here. They also talk about the important of reading Marcel Proust, Faulkner, and a dozen others. Toward the end Foote begins to spew forth on the merits of reading the Greek classics. It is his description of these books and their authors that adds to one's own literary education.

The first part of the book is a little annoying because Shelby Foote threw away the letters that Walker Percy sent to him for the first many years of their correspondence. So you keep reading Shelby Foote but are not privvy to what Walker Percy as to say.