Keep looking for the rainbow. Love, Carolyn

"The Good Book: the true story of Y'ALL," a Product of Mr. Byrd's hyperactive imagination and boundless energy, tells the half-true story of Y'all's wacky preacher relatives, their fated meeting during a thunderstorm and the lucky green dress given to them by an uncle who advised, "You can't never tell what might happen to you if folks have a reason to stare."

They're living in Nashville now, but Y'ALL occasionally returns to remind us that New York City's best gay act of the 1990s was all about a simple love story. James Dean Jay Byrd and Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer wasted too much time here trying to get attention with their touching songs and funny stories. Frankly, they deserved all the acclaim that ended up going to Hedwig and the Angry Inch. They never had a chance here, though. They refused to be decadent, and they didn't know how to be victims.

That's what makes The Good Book such an inspirational read. These two lovers come from a country background that isn't nearly as fantastical as it seems. The fictionalized history is still based on the special backwoods indulgence of eccentricity. Jay gets his lucky green dress from his crossdressing uncle, and Steven's grandmother--who crochets hotpants on the side--explains to the struggling musician why he was never meant to take over the family farm.

It's really a shame that a book this wonderful was rejected by so many publishing companies. But then, publishing companies rely on victimization to sell books. They wouldn't know what to do with a simple saga about determinedly happy gay men celebrating their family and heritage. Fortunately, there's an untapped audience out there--both straight and gay--who would love getting a gift this simple and sentimental.

"Empire" traces the rise and tragic fall of Howard Hughes; a man who wore many hats, he was an aviator, Hollywood movie producer, Las Vegas hotel/casino owner ... and a recluse. For one brief shining moment, Hughes was considered one of America's premier aviators, breaking flying records, but then falling out of grace with government and the aviation industry for breaking contract deadlines. In the long run, Howard Hughes would become a grand failure in the world of big business.

Bartlett and Steel show the reader a man who had everything to live for, good looks, fame, fortune, power and prestige, but he was unable to triumph over his social and physical phobias that led to psychological, emotional, and physical illnesses and to his final descent into the dwellings of the insane. Hughes' deep mistrust of all people-even family, worked against him and led to his demise and the lose of his billion dollar empire by the very people whose job it was to safeguard him and his empire.

By the time I finished reading "Empire: The Life, Legend, and Madness of Howard Hughes", I was much more accepting of my status as a non wealthy individual. Although Howard Hughes had everything a man could possibly wish for, he was underprivileged in peace of mind.... The authors do a superb job in separating fact from myth in the life of Howard Hughes. The book is worth reading.

In addition to standard guidebook material, it has a chapter on Belize's animal and plant life, which I found to be a great resource while visiting the Cockscomb jaguar preserve. And there's a long section on various outdoor activities (snorkeling, caving, etc.), in addition to more standard guidebook content (regional info, history, etc.)

You always wonder if a guidebook writer really knows what he's talking about, but after using this guide to get around Belize, I can say that Richard Mahler really knows this little gem of a country.

--Lan Sluder Editor & Publisher Belize First Magazine

Hurlbut's tells all the stories you remember from Sunday School as well as many that you may not know. It explains with clear and exciting language that is simple enough for children but also interesting for adults. It is almost like reading a thrilling novel, you can hardly wait to find out what happens next. I cannot recommend it enough.

The aim is to help readers chart the often tempestuous waters of contemporary architecture, as it branches into numerous streams of thought that seem to grow ever more divergent. Steele's chapters are a little too tidy in that they encapsulate, rather than expand on the attitudes of the architects. One's appetite is barely wetted before Steele brings a chapter to a close.

He offers some alluring examples of Green Architecture of both the hi-tech and lo-tech sort, illustrating the different attitudes that emerged in the 90's. This seems the direction architecture is heading as sustainable development becomes an ever more pressing concern. It is a sharp contrast to the various intellectual movements covered in this book that deal almost exclusively with abstract architectural ideas. Steele also takes in the various popular movements such as historic revivalism, contemporary vernacular, and the theme park architecture of Disney and Las Vegas. I was drawn to his concluding chapter on "World Cities," in which he discusses the urban impact of globalization, a recurring theme in the book. He touches on some of the current popular theories on urbanism, various urban renewal projects and the unchecked sprawl of Asian cities like Shanghai.

James Steele is a committed writer who has published numerous works. I particularly liked his book on Los Angeles Architecture, which is given a chapter in this compendium. Although a Modernist at heart, he offers an even-handed treatment of the various approaches to architecture, including the ever-contentious Post-Modernism.

It also seems to ignore works of theory that are forming the basis of more experimental work these days.

There a a few "Architecture Todays" around. Still have to read the others before I can comment on this being the best.

The book is jam-packed with useful resources, tips, techniques and tools that will be a catalyst for any helping professional. It's a must read... and a must do!

Mari Smith

"One evening, a group of friends and I were having dinner at a local restaurant. Our waiter was very distracted and he appeared to be agitated and depressed. He was abrupt, slow and unfriendly. As a result, our service left a great deal to be desired. Since I wanted to have an enjoyable evening, I decided to "talk funny" to him in order to help him feel better.

As he walked by our table holding a coffee pot, I touched his arm and said, "I'm sorry that you forgot that special night ... with that special person ... those exciting things that happened ... those very warm feelings that would embarrass you to talk about ... since we are all strangers."

For a moment his face went blank; he looked up to his left; his face then lift up and he said, "How do you know about that?" He then smiled and began to laugh, and his whole attitude changed as if by magic. He said, "Wow. that was some night. I don't know how you know about it."

The next time he came to our table, I said to him, "Wasn't it simply amazing that when you remember those happy, warm feelings, your attitude continues to change, and you continue to feel even better?"

We received a delightful service throughout the rest of the evening. What was even nicer, was that as we left he told us that we were one of the nicest parties he had ever waited on. He also asked us to be sure and ask for him whenever we returned.

Now, I have absolutely no idea as to what he hallucinated, but my communication resulted in his going back into his own history. He then found an experience that filled in the blanks, and that memory helped him to change his whole attitude in a matter of seconds. Of course, there's no such thing as hypnosis, and if there is, he should have gone deeper and deeper into a trance."

The reviewer who attributes my views on the roots of terrorism is surely a well-meaning person, but was much too quick to apply a personal bias on Chomsky to my own work. For the record, I was one of the first CIA Clandestine Service case officers assigned terrorism as a full-time target, hence have something of an operational understanding not available to the general public including Chomsky and the reviewer in question; 2) my educational work includes an undergraduate thesis on multinational corporate operations in the Third World; a first graduate thesis on the causes of revolution; and a second graduate thesis on strategic and tactical information management for national security (what can we and what do we know about the real world in order to make effective policy); 3) my life includes thirty years of residence overseas from which my direct observations on poverty, disease, and other conditions including corruption are applicable.

The comment about needing a filter and Chomsky should therefore be regarded as inaccurate. The book includes a 135 page annotated bibliography and a 25 page guide to web sites about corruption, cyber-advocacy, disease, education, environment, genocide, homeland defense, instability, intelligence, proliferation, slavery and human trafficking, starvation, terrorism, and transnational crime. In my view as the author, the previous review misrepresents the depth and breadth of the book in a grevious manner that requires my respectful response.