I agree, as few can argue, that Carter's NT 4.0 text was the text to use. The 2000 study system, I believed, was lacking specific detail on a few topics. To supplement (or I should say in conjunction with) the text I borrowed a non-production server from work and tried nearly every new feature of the Win2000 OS. I took the 70-240 exam and passed. I also purchased the complete BFQ software 70-240--good buy. I used no other study material. Perhaps Carter too assumes that the reader has experience with NT 4.0. Either way, the book served its purpose.

Yes there is repetition--it's called reinforcement. The intro chapters are great, always stating that more detail is to be found in a later chapter. The highlights of what has changed from NT4 to W2K are also a benefit.

Not as good as his NT4, but worth while for exam study. Once you pass, get something else for reference and more detail. Remember this is an MCSE study system-not complete coverage of Windows 2000.

My full-time job for the past 3 years as a Microsoft Certified Trainer has been to prepare high school and college students to pass the Windows NT 4 (and now Windows 2000) MCP exams. I evaluated a dozen books before settling on Alan Carter's "NT4 MCSE Core Study System" to supplement the Microsoft Official Curriculum. My 80% student first-time passage rate on certification exams is now in serious jeopardy with the coming of the much more difficult MCSE 2000 exam track.

I have read through Carter's "Windows 2000 MCSE Study System", as well as the Sybex and Microsoft Official Curriculum courses covering the four 2000 Core exams. I am once again impressed at how clearly, logically, and completely Carter has treated the materials needed for the first two exams, W2K Pro and W2K Server MCP. These two exams assume that you have a broad understanding of 2000, including materials that you would expect to find only on the Network Infrastructure and Directory Services exams. If you carefully read through Carter's book , work through the dozens of step-by-step and lab exercises, skim the book a second time, and use Transcender exams for practice, you should have no trouble passing the Server and Pro exams with high scores AND have a solid foundation on which to complete your Network Infrastructure and Directory Services core exams.

As the best written "single" volume book on the market, Carter's 2000 book deserves 5 (or even 6) stars. However, for what it purported does, prepare you for all four 2000 core exams, it rates 4 stars because it does not sufficiently cover the materials for the Networking Infrastructure and Directory Services core exams. As always, Transcender exams will boost your score a 100+ points, but you would be well served to supplement Carter (and Transcender) with the two books from Sybex's MCSE Study Guide series that cover these exams. Also remember to bring an exorcist to the two Networking Infrastructure exams (Administering--core and Design--elective), because as one reviewer has remarked on a major certification website, they are "evil, evil, evil".

Bob Nordling MCSE, MCP+I, MCT, CTT, A+, Network+, i-Net+ and a worshipper at the altar of Cisco, i.e. a CCIE wannabe

I have to thank Alan Carter for writing a great book that gave me a solid foundation for Win2K and allowed me to pass 4 cour exams. Before turning to this book, I have tried New Riders guide for 70-215 (Server) test, and it definitely was not enough to pass that test. It seems that all 4 cour exams overlap greatly, so if you are trying to pass Server without knowing anything about Active Directory or basic TCP/IP concepts, might as well forget it. "Windows 2000 is Windows 2000"--states Alan Carter, and that's how he is able to prepare you for 4 core tests with just this one item. Don't get me wrong, you will need a dedicated effort to study and practice the material, but by the time you are done, you will have a solid framework that you can hang all your future Win2K knowledge on.

This book is very good although it may be a little hard for younger audiences to read. The Egyptian vocabulary and traditions may be a little confusing. If you get stuck on an Egyptian word, person, or place refer to the vocabulary list at the end of the book. Their it will tell you it's meaning and should help you along with the book. Other reviewers said that this book was boring and yes, it might be boring to readers who know nothing about Hathshepsut or are not interested in Egyptian history. I reccomend reading 'Hatshepsut, His Majesty, Herself' by Catherine M. Andronik and Joseph Daniel Fiedler {illustrator} which is a short straight forward history about Hatshepsut that basicly sums up her life and accomplishments before tackling this book. Anyways this book is very interesting. It provides a lot of history which makes the book even more interesting. You'll love this book as long as you read it with a poisitive notion

Some other reviewers considered this book boring, but they must a)not have a very good grasp of egyptian history, b)have a complete lack of interest in Egypt, c) be sans a diverse vocabulary. :) I love ancient Egypt, fact and fiction, and this book is wonderful for any history buff. I found it very exciting, beautifully written, and it described the atmosphere of Hatshepsut's time with rich clarity. Let me tell you, I read this book in sixth grade and loved it, and even now, years later, it is still a fabulously satisfying read. So boo yah, and go borrow/steal:)/buy His Majesty, Queen Hatshepsut!!!

...I love ancient Egypt, fact and fiction, and this book is wonderful for any history buff. I found it very exciting, beautifully written, and it described the atmosphere of Hatshepsut's time with rich clarity. Let me tell you, I read this book in sixth grade and loved it, and even now, years later, it is still a fabulously satisfying read. ...

Titles matter, and it is a great shame that Dori Carter went with this title for her book. The title is just too clever by half. It will mislead and misdirect readers. This book is about neither Beautiful WASPs nor sex.

Instead, what we have here is a wonderful novel about one of the most significant manifestations of the Jewish presence in America, namely the Jews who work in Hollywood as screenwriters, agents, and producers. It shows how they take their own experience of life (which is clearly drawn upon their own experiences as Jews in America, and more distantly on their knowledge of the history of the treatment of Jews within gentile cultures) and transform it into something understandable to the American public, especially that public between the two coasts which must be pleased to make a movie that is a success. To this end they create an idealized culture of the Beautiful WASP which they use in these movies as a mirror to reflect back onto the mainstream of American life not what is, but rather what is dreamed of. Dori Carter has written a book which is, I think, an insightful exploration of this aspect of the Jewish experience in America. She can be laugh-out-loud funny as she lampoons the utterly superficial world of Hollywood and its creations. And yet at the same time she has written a book which is a serious exploration of the question of how this unique group can and does relate to the broader American culture within which it dwells. I read in a review that this was a book about "self-hating Jews" presumably because these characters try so desperately hard to mask who they are. I do not agree with this statement. A closer reading of the novel shows the narrator coming to understand and appreciate the world she remains a part of, no matter what the superificial surroundings. I hope that both Jewish and non-Jewish readers will not be put off by the novel's awful title and will instead let themselves enter a fascinating world which is portrayed faithfully with humor, pathos, and great understanding.

Like Bud Shulberg's, WHAT MAKES SAMMY RUN?, Dori Carter has used her protagonist to narrate the cunning rise of a ruthless young man willing to do almost anything to climb to the top of the Hollywood heap. The two books are so close, that I wondered if Dori Carter modeled her story after Shulberg's -- a way Hollywood often develops "new" ideas.

I found the cover and title misleading. The book is not particularly sexy and there are very few WASPS. Carter's use of Jewish stereotypes is often humorous, but the story is over-all a sad if acurate depiction of how Hollywood thrives on mediocrity and the almight deal.

The novel is still an excellent read. And I look forward to more works by Dori Carter.

BEAUTIFUL WASPS HAVING SEX manages to be both a very funny read about the travails of a Hollywood screenwriter, and a compelling look at what drives people in the movie business. It rises way above the usual Hollywood novel in that it considers both the Jewish psyche, and the roots of the entertainment business in explaining why, "No one's very surprised by bad behavior in Hollywood."

Frankie Jordan, the narrator is a forty-year-old writer whose marriage is ending and career is faltering when she meets her agent's secretary, Jonathan Prince, a twenty four-year-old whose career is just beginning. The story traces his rise to power as seen through her eyes. Jonathan, like his predecessor Sammy Glick, rises by stepping on the people who were stupid enough to trust him. But Dori Carter also guides us through the workings of the movie industry from a writer's point of view by following the struggle Frankie endures in trying to get her screenplay made with just a little bit of integrity intact. Agents, producers, development girls, studio executives...they're all here spouting dialog that made this reader laugh out loud.

Most of the characters are Jewish, with a few well-chosen token WASPs. Among the Jews,Yiddish is sprinkled in conversations both as a self-deprecating reference to their poor, politically incorrect forebears - "The shvartzeh comes tomorrow" - and as an acknowledgement that they all came from the same, fearful world. The title of the book has to do with one of the many ironies in the book: These Hollywood Jews wish they could feel as carefree and safe as the beautiful WASPS whose image they have done such a splendid job in packaging. As Jerry Slotnick, a schlock producer explains: "It's the jealousy love/hate thing that the Jews have for the WASPS. The WASPs don't have to be deep...They don't feel obliged to suffer. Their God isn't as demanding as our God. He doesn't make you get circumcised, command you to sacrifice your son, and then forbid you to eat spareribs on top of it."

This is one Hollywood book you will NOT be embarrassed to be seen reading on the beach.

TALKING PEACE is an astounding eye opening book. The facts are gripping but also upsetting. What Jimmy Carter does for human rights is phenomenal. After reading this book I have come to respect Mr. Carter and truly admire his efforts. The Carter Center, started by Jimmy Carter, has saved lives, stopped wars, and helped increase awareness of human rights all over the world. Thank you, Mr. Carter.

Jimmy Carter's Talking Peace is an exceptionally informative yet quite enjoyable book. The ex-Presidents views and insights into the world as we know it offer a glimpse of true love and compassion for all humanity. The numerous programs that are undertaken by the Carter Foundation provide many underprivileged individuals and families with a reality which is a little friendlier. Habitat for Humanity, for instance, is a great undertaking which provides homeless or poverty stricken people with a place to stay at little or no cost. President Carter is an extremely knowledgeable man whose knowledge equals, if not surpasses, many of the world's recognizable brilliant minds. The experiences he has gathered throughout his life, including both his upbringing and his presidency, allow him to discuss the implications of numerous things, many of which ordinary people do not consider. Overall Talking Peace is a great book and I would recommend it to anyone who would like to better themselves by reading it.

This book is an awesome book because it not only mentions the various conflicts around the world that Americans are unaware of, but it goes into depth about struggles and the interventions by Jimmy Carter to solve these conflicts. This book is an eye-opener to the numerous freedoms and priveleges we often take for granted and that others strive for. Jimmy Carter discusses the attempts of organizations such as the Carter Center and the UNICEF to establish peace and suitable living conditions around the world. Jimmy Carter does not neglect the potential of young Americans and encourages them to do what they can do to make the world a better place for everyone.

I enjoyed the book, but I thought it could have been so much better. I learned more about Merle Haggard than I knew before. I liked the stories and Merle's sense of humor. I just think there was something missing. I can't really put my finger on what it is, but I was expecting more. The book was pretty good though. I read it cover to cover. I am sure anyone who likes Merle Haggard will enjoy this book.

Honest,raw,direct,entertaining. I read this book "My House of Memories: For the Record" in three hours, never putting it aside once. Merle Haggard has "been there, done that" and more. He puts on no airs about where he has come from or what he has done. The man is a genius in writing talent and the greatest voice I have ever heard. Most interesting and entertaining book. Thank you Merle Haggard. Linda D. Smith

Merle's genius for lyric and creativity shines through some of the rough and ugly stories that help us understand him. A lot of the language is rough but it is part of the story that better defines the experiences that made Merle who he is. There are many times throughout the book where Merle's descriptions and thoughts ring with poetic flare.

I grew up in Bakersfield and often heard stories about the legendary Blackboard, Lucky Spot and Texas Barrell House on Union. I have family that are rumored to have sung with him at times and used to watch Merle play before he was starting out. I could appreciate many of the stories described in the book and have worked the same oilfields and packing sheds he describes. I don't live there anymore but I do go back and visit.

Over the course of the book it becomes clear how Merle has been able to completely turn around his life around and gain control of his finances, his family, his career and most importantly his spirituality.

I enjoyed the book very much. I grew up listening to Merle Haggard. I wish I could meet him someday, one ol' Bakersfield boy to another and just pick the guitar with him.

When I bought this book, my first thought was that it would be a story of Riverwind's journey to Xak Tsaroth and would probably not fit into the Chronicles timeline. I was wrong on both thoughts. The book is very well written and the characters are good. (although I wasn't much impressed by Catchflea, and there is a long draggy point of walking through endless tunnels.) The story is like two books in one: first Riverwind journies to an undergound city of lost elves and participates in their rebellion against an evil elven sorceres, (Li El has to be one of the most evil villians I have ever read about) and then he journies to Xak Tsaroth to battle draconians and Khisanth the black dragon. It tied in very well with the series and explained why Riverwind couldn't remember the adventure. I know most people say that the preludes stink, but this one doesn't. Pick it up if you were as curious as me about Riverwind's lost quest that was wiped from his memory.

Riverwind the Plainsman was an ok book. The biginning was somewhat dull but the ending made up for it. The prediction at the begining at the beginnig made you gess the whole time when and who it would happen to. Like some of the other readers have stated there is a slight confliction with the other books.

Your beloved needs you to go on a quest to claim her. You take the village idiot. You fall down a big hole into an underground kingdom of elves. You have an elf fall in love with you and you eventually take on a black dragon. All in a days work for Riverwind.

Riverwind is forced to go on a courting quest to claim Goldmoon. The quest involves finding proof of the old gods. Catchflea, the town idiot, joins Riverwind and they end up falling down the entrance to a city of underground elves. After an epic battle to free them from their oppressive ruler, the companions blunder into a city of draconians and a cleric making horrible lizard warriors. Only one person makes it out of this whole mess alive and sane.

The plot is implausible so it's up to the characters to make the read interesting. And they do. Riverwind is an interesting very sweet character. Catchflea gets annoying, but Di An is a nice character and Li El is truly creepy.

If you're looking for a good, light read from Dragonlance, you might want to check out this book.

This is a well written attack on the treatment of religion in American political and legal life. Carter attempts to show that religous motivations are disparaged in many aspects of American public life. He is particularly concerned with convincing individuals with liberal political views that religious motivations, per se, are not harmful or irrational. Carter's points are not, however, aimed solely at a liberal audience. He attacks our legal system, including the Supreme Court, for inadequate defense of minor religions, and excoriates conservative Christians for justifying a highly partisan political agenda. To Carter, religons function best as mediators between individuals and government and he sees them as essential components of civil society. He sees religions as carrying forward this function best when acting in a dissenting mode, such as abolitionism, the Civil Rights Movement, and the anti-abortion movement. One difficulty with this book is that it is relatively brief. This allows Carter to make a number of points in a relatively short text and Carter's writing is never curt. The defect is that a number of important issues receive somewhat unsatisfactory treatment. I was unconvinced, for example, by some of his treatment of creationism as an "alternative hermeneutic". Several of the topics in this book really deserve longer discussion. Still, this book was written to provoke thought and it is very successful in that respect. It is important to note that this is not a defense of conservative Christian views a al Pat Robertson. Carter is deeply religous (Episcopalian, not Catholic as stated in one of the reviews below) and rather liberal in his political beliefs.

I found this to be an especially thought-provoking, at times unsettling book to read. Carter has obviously given a great deal of careful thought to the important issues he addresses. For example, he is deeply concerned about what he views as a deterioration of spirituality in American society. Ours is perhaps the most democratic of all capitalistic cultures, ensuring strict separation of church and state as well as the right to embrace any religion (or none). Carter fully supports that separation and indicates zero-tolerance of threats to that right. However, he repudiates efforts by those among the national media with a strong liberal bias who trivialize basic values which are, in fact, common to all of the world's major religions. He asserts that these values should guide and inform national policy (not the other way around), just as they once did when thirteen colonies declared war on the most powerful nation in the world and then reaffirmed the same values 12 years later in the new nation's Constitution and Bill of Rights.

In Christianity on Trial, Vincent Carroll and David Shiflett provide both a broad overview and a close analysis of various accusations against the Christian church over the centuries. Many of these accusations were valid; others were not. However, undeniably, the Hellenic-Hebraic values of Christianity are inextricably bound up in the fabric of American legal as well as political and social history. It's hard for me to believe but it has been more 40 years since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his associates began their efforts to achieve full and unqualified human rights for all Americans. Carter is hardly alone when asking "What has been accomplished since then? What remains to be done?" Not all readers will agree with the answers he has formulated, at least thus far, but I think everyone who reads this book will be much better prepared to consider basic issues which transcend legality in pursuit of justice, which transcend consensus in pursuit of fundamental human decency.

Carter, through this beautifully written book exposes our contemporary culture that trivializes religion. In the approach of American politics as well as the leagal system towards religious faiths, there is an increasing attitude of disdain. Therefore the brave and bold voice of Carter is sure to raise some discussion, which in turn would bring about some change. Those advocates of our modern culture who repeatedly talk about the separation of state and religion must first read this book even before they open their mouth.

Whether you agree or not, all African Americans should read this book! There's still enough good in this book to work with. It is still a dangerous book in the hands of Eurocentric "christians." I couldn't even imagine him SPEAKING this book on tv.

Nevertheless, he has some VALID points about contemporary Blacks' weaknesses and faults (sins). Other great books are by Nana Banchie Darwah, Fred K. C. Price, Kingsley Fletcher and Albert Raboteau.

I am a spirit filled pastor who is also a black american in Oklahoma City Oklahoma. I was also raised in the midst of racial tension, although it probably was a bit more subtle than that of the authors'. My parents insisted that God had created us equal and treated all races the same, according to our christian faith. I've never been raised to hate other races but I have certainly felt the hatred and been the object of attack in many different situations. This book, coming from the authors life and experiences, summed up by the Word of God, reveals what has been going on in the earth since Noah. A dark skinned people who knew God spread out in different directions and covered the earth. Mixed marriages influenced their faith and many turned away from God. The american black man's ancestors knew God and worshipped him and were the source of knowledge and industry to the world. But they turned from serving God to the worship of idols. The book states "Idoltry = (equals) Slavery. Every time any nation left God to worship idols that nation found it self enslaved. Furthermore, the author proves scripturally that God sought to prevent this from happening by sending the prophets to prophesy against Egypt and Ethiopia (ancestors to the american black) urging them to repent. The result of their disobedience was, brother against brother, being enslaved by their brothers, being sold to serve our European brother (I believe was stated to be Japheth) and sent naked and in chains on ships to another country of which they had never been. The first book placed in our ancestors hand on american soil was, the Word of God, which brings the authors' revelation full circle. God did not want the black man to go into slavery but rather to prevent him from suffering by provoking him to repent. Idolatry is still the reason today for the oppression of any nation of people, not man. This is a spiritual principle! The author further explains that the white man's "irritation" with the black man was also prophesied as a result of our lack of repentance. But through Jesus Christ, every curse is broken and we are returned to God free from oppression in our hearts and minds and full of forgiveness toward all that have offended us!!!!!!! What a wonderful book!!!! I Challenge you to read and digest this book. I believe that it's content is a new standard for a new millenium for the believer. We should not hold the truth in unrighteousness. Neither can we continue say "we love God" and hated our brothers. This is a truth for all races and nations to read!!! The truth shall make us free!!!!!

I could hardly put this book down once I started to read it. The facts that Rev. Carter provides about Black history are substantiated through the Bible. I think that any person that reads this book will understand why Black people have gone through what they have. Black people can be proud of their heritage. This book is for people of all ages.

As a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who worked in Tanzania for 2 years, I was a little disappointed. The book was not what I expected. The explicit portions I felt were unneeded and overshadowed the descriptions of the Tanzania people and their culture. There were some brief descriptions of parts of the Tanzania culture but overall I didn't think the book did it justice. Also, because I was Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, I knew that some of the possessions that the character had in the book, were never given to Peace Corps Volunteers! (i.e., the nice flashlight he had). It was a lot more difficult than he made out. I realize that was not the focal point of the story but I felt that it could have been done better. I wonder if he had talked to any volunteers that worked in Tanzania. I had a hard time getting into the book and didn't like the bouncing back and forth from the past to the present. Also, I felt there should have been some explanation of how he came to join the Peace Corps. I thought the flashbacks would eventually lead up to that, but it never came. I'm glad other people found it enjoyable, but looking through my eyes as a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, I was disappointed.

Having just returned from a brief stay in Tanzania on a volunteer vacation project, I was very anxious to read this book. I think it is excellent for a first book. The story is compelling, the plot and action keep at a pretty good pace, and the characters are colorful and interesting. The author's descriptions of the land and people are straightforward, even gritty, and with the use of Kiswahili phrases throughout, he gives it a very authenthic feel. He certainly does not glamorize Peace Corps work. Jordan's character is an odd mix of altruism (no one in his right mind would sign up for two years to work in a rural Third world country village on a lark) and selfish immaturity. The flashbacks to his failed relationship with his girlfriend in the US (of which I wish there had been less)indicate the latter. His efforts to save and raise a baby Eagle and make life better for a young Tanzanian girl are well intended but again, his motives are far from pure, especially when it comes to the girl. He makes some pretty foolhardy decisions towards the end of the book in his effort to get the girl out of harm's way which make for pretty compelling and dramatic adventures. The ending is pretty gruesome - I could have done without it, but there it was! I kept wondering how much of this book was autobiographical by the author, as he lived and worked in the Usumbara Mountains and started the Tanzania Wildlife Fund referred to in the last chapter. All in all, if you like Africa, different cultures and adventure, I think would you would enjoy this book. I will look forward to another book by Carter Coleman.

The Volunteer is a great book about one man's adventure & terror in modern Africa. In an attempt to try and change his ways & right some of the wrongs in his life, Jordan shelves his law degree and career to spend two years in Tarzania teaching the people fishing. He falls for a beautiful African teenager who is betrothed to the Sultan Kimweri. After learning of a customary sexual "circumsision" she's to go through, Jordan makes it his personal mission to send her away to school in Kenya. Jordan had formed a wary, thin friendship with the sultan, but his good natured interference puts his life in danger. The book has wonderful flashbacks of Jordan's life in Tennessee with the woman he betrayed, as well as a great drug run through Zanzibar. Readers won't learn much about the ins and outs of the Peace Corps program, and there's no real explanation as to how Jordan applied, qualified or wound up in it. The horrific ending is not for the skrimish . Hopefully, this will be marketed well.