In the world of the MCSE 2000 the first step to certification success is the 70-210 exam. With everything out there it is hard to decide what is good and what is not so good. Having spent three days reading this book I think you'll find that it certainly does its intended job.

Overall this 730 page manual covers every objective in detail. The author(s) have made certain they give you enough work to do with an abundance of hands-on step-by-step exercises. They have also included exam review questions and "Apply Your Knowledge" sections at the end of each chapter.

Part I is the exam prep, which like I said covers each objective in a clear yet detail manner. I like the fact that the authors have kept the technical language to level that allows everyone to comprehend the material. Part II is the final review, which allows the reader to prepare for the actual exam.

Included with the book is a cd with practice questions, engineered by Prep Logic. I found this software to both refreshing; in that QUE has sought to bring a new player to the certification table, and also to be very challenging. Also you can purchase more exams from the Prep Logic website which has several other MCSE exams.

Overall the book is good, the software if excellent and I think you'll find that QUE Publishing is certainly making headway in the production of high quality certification manuals - well done.

This collection of essays--with an elegy by Russell Baker for the Baltimore Evening Sun--highlighting H.L. Mencken's life and times should delight confirmed Menckenites and acquaint those to whom the "Sage of Baltimore" is unknown with the reasons why he was a major journalistic force for much of the twentieth century. The purpose of Mencken Revisited, the author tells us, is to "introduce Mencken and to guide the reader into hitherto unexplored paths." That purpose is laudably fulfilled, with prose lucidly clear, and subjects suitably interesting: HLM as editor, HLM as defender of the First Amendment, and some things of HLM himself. This book is not a biography, but provides an overview and a useful guide to Mencken's work and books about HLM. Harrison mounts a vigorous defense of Mencken as-bigot and explains why Mencken could never exist as a journalist today. Often as acerbic and opinionated as Mencken himself, Harrison demonstrates his exasperation with modern modes of "politically correct" writing and disdain for the continuing inept journalism education that Mencken castigated. Harrison, author of The Editorial Art of Edmund Duffy (1998), employs Duffy cartoons and a gem by Kevin Kallaugher (KAL) to illustrate this informative book, accompanied by relevant pages from the Evening Sun in 1938, when Mencken served briefly as editorial page editor.

Definately for the serious WW2 historian. This book is well researched and organized. It provides an interesting contrast to the experience of the novice American army as it prepared for war. As the senior partner in the Western Allied coalition during the initial phase of the conflict, the British often spoke of the lack of American combat experience in disparaging terms. The author presents a convincing portrait of an army that failed to fully glean the lessons of modern war from its own hard won lessons, in sharp contrast to their "junior" American partners.

Towards the end of the middle ages, monarchs and kings came to the realization that the transmutation of elements may not be physically possible. The creation of wealth via alchemical means therefore shifted to another sphere. Rather than employ chemists laboring to create gold from lead, rulers instead hired economists to create gold from paper. The symbolism and metaphor of the alchemical process carried over from chemical to economic terms is really quite enlightening.

The relationship to the Faust legend and the role of Goethe in the development of the early modern economy makes this book a very interesting read for anyone who may be baffled by the current system of value creation in our modern economy.

The real insight of this book lies in its illumination of humankind's quest to gain mastery over time and our own mortality. Here the author demonstrates how science is used to gain predictive control over time by use of the past (the evidence of scientific method). Economics is used to master time via control over the future (money as "value" stored for future use). And the arts overcome the constraints of time by stretching out the present (the transporting nature of the sublime). The alchemical means by which this is accomplished is demonstrated clearly. Magic turns out to be very real indeed.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are likeable and real, with weaknesses and quirks that are subtle enough that they don't turn into caricatures. I liked that Natalie, the main character, learns to like and trust people who are legitimately annoying in some ways, since that's how life really is. I thought her development was realistic and important; she discovers that she has more control over how she sees the world than she thought at the beginning. That's a great message and an important one these days.

A marvellous novel about the brilliant explorer and writer Richard Burton and his young protege John Hanning Speke and there ill-fated attempt to locate the source of the White Nile in the east African highlands. In the process we see the difficulties faced by Victorian explorers and you can only marvel at the bravery of the men to undertake such journeys.

We see the recriminations that erupt in London when Speke claims (rightly but without real proof) that Victoria is the source and how Burton is sidelined and eventually is lucky to find positions in the worst jobs in the foreign service. A sad end for one of the worlds greatest explorers. I can feel no sympathy for the end that Speke met with, but read it for yourself. Now a movie, but the film cannot capture a fraction of the book.

Starting your own business without a giant wad of someone else's cash is HARD. After two years of building a small software business from the ground up...no end of the rotten economy in sight...it was a godsend to read "The Mousedriver Chronicles." What can I say? I laughed. I cried. Seriously, after coming of age in the boom economy when it seemed like businesses magically grew and were financed out of thin air, this book is a refreshingly honest look about what starting a business is really like (at least when you've got no money). I kept pointing out pages to my husband, saying, "See! They felt this way too!" It's easy to feel alone when you're starting a small businesses. This book made me feel like someone else understood.

Upon purchasing this book, I was nervous that the vocal score would be incomplete scaled down versions of the popular songs for My Fair Lady. Instead, I was very delightfully surprised. Not only are ALL the songs present, plus the repises in COMPLETE FULL versions, there are piano arrangements for almost all the musical interludes and stand alone pieces throughout the play. (i.e. the overture, music for closings, intermission, etc. etc) Lines preceedng and in between songs are also printed.

If you are interested in not only the song, but the music (in all forms) of My Fair Lady, highly recommended.

Juanita Harrison, a southern African American woman, overcame the obstacles of poverty, a lack of formal education, racism, and a little thing called the Great Drepression to fulfill her dream of seeing the world on her own terms. This collection of her diary entries, unedited for grammar and spelling, has captured the voice of a resourceful, intelligent, adventurous and charming woman. Ms. Harrison's colorful descriptions, clear-eyed assessments of human nature (including her own), shrewd bargain hunting, and her whole-hearted enjoyment of all the good things in life should serve as inspiration to all would-be travelers.

We have the Oceans and Jungles books in this series and I want them all. My 2 year old son adores them. He finds new animals all the time and likes to hear all about them. I think the books are great because they combine the fun of a flap book with the mystery of a puzzle. They are beautiful to look at and lots of fun. I wish they'd come back in print, though I imagine they are expensive to manufacture. We think they're worth it!