Finally a good quilt book that tells you how to fix or set blocks! There are no patterns in this book, but who needs another pattern book. This book helps you clean up all those blocks just setting around.

Sharyn Craig's Setting Solutions provides blueprints for success in creating block quilts which are easy and which solve common block problems in size and color. New techniques for grouping blocks are included.

If you make quilt blocks, you want to own this book. Sharon will show you how to create your own quilts with blocks that are not matched in size or color and the results will be better than you would ever expect.   As I read through, marveling at her creativity, I kept wondering why she had such an endless supply of mismatched blocks of the month. She does it on purpose! She likes the challenge of starting with something and making it better, rather than making her own orderly and boring quilt from scratch.

There is no way to overstate how much you will get out of this book. Another recent book by Margaret Miller dealt with the same subject but her solutions were so much work that I doubt I would ever use them. This book contains easy, approachable solutions to problems all of us have faced. If you make blocks, you will want to have it in your library for endless inspiration.

This concise, well-organized book enables aspiring sportswriters to understand the mechanics of superior sports coverage, and lays out what they will need to know to effectively contribute to a publication. The book is excellent at describing not only what reporters face when covering events, but also how to translate knowledge so that editors and general readers get the most from the story. The book is especially good at providing tips on preparation, and it deftly diagrams how different types of stories are composed. The book also includes many useful definitions, abbreviations, and checklists. All in all, Steve Craig's book is just what a young writer needs to bring his or her talents from aspiration into print.

In Sports Writing: A Beginner's Guide Steve Craig draws from his years of experience as an awards winning sports writer and sports editor to present a simple, practical introduction to the craft of sports-related journalism. You don't have to play the games to write well about them; Sports Writing covers the basics of getting the facts, making the most of an interview, the difference between game, feature, and sidebar stories, and much more. Sports Writing is a very useful and highly recommended basic primer filled with tips, tricks, and techniques for aspiring sports journalists.

This is the book every middle and high school english teacher has been waiting for, a complete guide to sports writing for beginning writers. Craig, a veteran sportswriter, tells it like it is in simple language and covers a lot of ground. From reporting, to notetaking, from news stories to feature stories, from keeping track of scores to interviewing, this slender book is jam packed with practical information. Though written for a teen age audience in mind, Craig never talks down to his readers and this book could easily be used as a College Textbook .

Most books are mediocre. And I say this based upon a lifetime of reading everything. This book is wonderful, well-written, well-researched, well-published. I simply could not stop reading it, and when I'd finished, I really truly felt I knew the great Johnny Weissmuller, my childhood idol. I also came to know Johnny, Jr., and have enormous empathy for this fellow, who has managed to carve a successful life for himself, against large odds, it would seem, and with little guidance. The book is amazingly candid and very moving, and virtually un-put-down-able. If you have even the slightest interest in humanity, Tarzan, or John Weissmuller, buy this excellent book. RM

Johnny Weissmuller by far was the best of all the Tarzans ever filmed for movies or television and "Tarzan, My Father" written by his son, is by far the best of many dozens of biographies written about Johnny.
His swimming achivements are unmatched and he was not only a friend of everyone in the jungle, but of everyone he meet.
This is a must read, if you want to know the real Johnny Weissmuller. Mike Oliver

This is a extraodinary personal look at one of the greatest athletes of the past century, and the man who made the world love Tarzan. This book is written with care and detail, and that effort shows. From the family's Austrian history to Wiessmuller's swimming career to Hollywood, to the last days of his life. A great, rich story. A must for lovers of biographies.

I met one of the contributors (Micha) and heard him speak. I bought the book from him and read it. It was really great. It talks about the stuff that teens deal with.

If you need a book that deals with stuff that teens are going through, this is the book. It contains solid advice from motivational speakers from around the world. I suggest you read this book.

As a co-author to this book, I must admit I am biased. But, I would not have gotten involved if I did not think this is a book every teen must have. With a collection of youth speakers from across the United States, it is a collection of hilarious and touching stories from a variety of very different authors. This is the original in a series of four and it truly helps teens get the power to do what is positive. If you have any questions, just email me!

A very well done, if a bit dated, introduction to how to invest without eating up your funds and profits with unnecessary fees. Basically stay away from brokers and anyone affiliated with them and you are much better off.

An excellent read that is current on the fast changing times in the stock market. A great deal of research went into this book and it would take many years of study and fact finding to replicate the data on your own. This book has the cutting edge investment strategies from the mid-90's through the new millennium to harnes your financial future, regardless of income or knowledge. This book is both a great tool of the trade for a seasoned investor and a great starting point for the beginning investor. Save yourself $...and four years of college with this book. If you already have your financial ducks in a row - then give this book to your children or a friend - it will pay dividends for generations. The author is a wonderful father, husband, community leader, friend and the best college professor I ever had. His advice has served me wonderfully over the years - it will do the same for you.

This new book is well-written, helpful and painstakingly researched. It's filled with dozens of interesting tables and charts. Israelsen preaches the benefits of long-term investing rather than day-trading and short-term buying and selling. The first chapter, "The Investment Thing," clearly answers such questions as: Why invest in stock? Why do corporations sell stock? What causes the price of a stock to go up or down? How does annual return translate into actual dollar gains? With these basic questions answered, you are ready to absorb chapters on investment risks, mutual funds, how to get into investing, buying stock directly from companies, taxes, and finally, a battle plan. Includes great information on how to save for your children's education as well as retirement. Filled with smart advice and written in an easy-to-understand fashion, "The Thrifty Investor" is a great investment of your time -- and money.

I got turned onto this book in an 80s chat room! Ordered the book, and I'm glad that I did. It really captures the spirit of the music of the time, which was a lot of fun. It makes a great addition to my pop culture book collection.

This is the best book I have found that I have actually gotten stumped at....but then I realized that I must have had a fugue state....remembered them!!! *grin* Great book, great author....

The Totally Awesome 80s Pop Music Trivia Book is an excellent resource for all 80s music fans. From cover to cover this book is jam packed with everything you want to know about 80s Pop Music Trivia and more! We especially love The Totally Awesome 80s Pop Music Trivia Book because we offer our members/visitors 80s trivia. With the graciousness of author Michael-Dante Craig allowing us to utilize information from the book, we now have an excellent addition to our 80s trivia section...

Once again the Parshall's have laid the truth out on the line for the world to see. Tough Faith is an outstanding apologetic for our time and a must read for every student and Pastor.

The book has 3 sections - Doctrine & Deception - is the first section with a punch. This chapter begins by describing how mankind fell to arrogance when the Titanic sank. Using many illustrations from the sinking of the Titanic the authors draw a clear picture of life in today's world. There is good discussion on the scientific method, mysticism and technologies.

You will also read about the clear difference between secular humanism versus biblical Christianity. An excellent argument is given to Christians that we must engage the culture with our minds, and not merely our heart.

Discussion on the rise of cults follows and the destructive damage that these ideas have on people. The Parshall's boldly expose the Gay agenda, the Jesus Seminar and histories skeptics and challenge the reader to examine closely their doctrine with Scripture.

Part 2 of the book deals with the Persecution of the Pious - and this is an excellent section that will not only strengthen your faith but educate you as to those who have died so willingly and passionately for the name of Christ. You will read about Perpetua, Patrick Hamilton, George Wishart and others who had the tough faith to endure true persecution. The history in this section of the book is outstanding and worthy to be read. You will also read about the Parshall's own experiences in this area.

Section 3 deals with how we can live righteously in our ruined culture. The challenge to live your life faithfully and without shame is given, but not without many practical principles straight out of Scripture. Every person of faith who engages the culture will want to especially read this section.

In a nutshell, this book proclaims that if you say you are a Christian and a follower of Christ Jesus then act like it! Do not merely be a hearer of the Word, but be a doer as well.

This book cuts through the heart like a searing iron. There can be no such thing as a lukewarm christian in the coming millennium. Janet and Craig challenge us to examine our willingness to sacrifice everything for our God and Country in a time in this land that is akin to the final days of Babylon. They give us a practical manifesto for daily living and a challenge to actively participate in our nation's recovery. May God, in his grace, grant this nation a repentant heart.

The Parshall's new book Tough Faith should be declared "required reading" for all who name the name of Christ as their Savior. Outstanding, factual presentation of the way things really are, not the way we wish they would be. Read on!

Big help, I've found 43 UFOs and met several alien races in the short 3-month span since I've purchased this book. Thank you Craig and Stanton!

The present writer commented on this book earlier in 2002,as a qualified ufo-investigator with a large ufo organization,and as a resident of California.
Glenday got his blessings from Stan(the Man)Friedmann,that is a reason enough for the book.
It does have certain aspects of ufo-investigation that even some ufo-org.s dont allude to,e.g. the computer analysis of ufo photos.
It also covers most of the areas germaine to ufo field investigating.
If there is one flaw its the idea of contact: given the problems it causes I would highly recommend against it in any way.The rest of the book doesnt have such pitfalls in the ufo territory.
My rec.is that ufo organizations supplement thier field guides with this book.They would actually complement each other in fields.Enough said!

Boringness is usually in the mind of the beholder so all I could say to ME this book was very interesting.It's also a myth to say "all ufotos are bad" as some try to say;indeed the ufotos in Friedman's book are excellent.(Not saying all are not hoaxes,though.)
Friedman's background in high: A Physicist,with a Master's in physics,(Sagan was his college classmate)(!),and about 31 years researching ufos.
To me its his other books(the Roswell one and Majick one)
that were dull,but even in that Majestic-12("Majick" I called it) book there is alot of scientific data regards the ufo field,making it more interesting.
Further,Stanton Friedman is not an extremist in ufology;we have all to many these days-skeptics especially.
Stanton is probably a "soft-extraterrestrial hypothesis" proponent-stating that "some" ufos are from other planets.
As a qualified ufo-investigator I highly recommend this work.Good ol' Stanton Friedman!

The book is a debate between two well-informed philosophers who debate the implications of big bang cosmology on the issue of God's existence. I recently re-read the book and was amazed at what I missed the first time around. The technical nature of the book will make it difficult to understand for those who are unfamiliar with both philosophical argument and big bang cosmology. I recommend one read Robert Jastrow's _God and the Astronomers_ and Hugh Ross' _ Creator and the Cosmos_ before embarking on this heavy dose of technical philosophy. I consider Craig's Kalam cosmological argument for God's existence to hold more weight than Smith's interesting but weak cosmological argument for God's non-existence.

According to Big Bang cosmology, the universe began to exist about fifteen billion years ago with an explosion called `the Big Bang'. But was this explosion created by God, or did it occur without cause? In Part I, Christian philosopher William Lane Craig defends the theistic interpretation of Big Bang cosmology. In Part II, atheist philosopher Quentin Smith defends the atheistic interpretation. Part III contains Craig's and Smith's interpretations of Stephen Hawking's cosmology, and its implications for the existence of God.

An excellent scholarly resource for anyone interested in the debate over Big Bang cosmology. Readers unfamiliar with Big Bang Theory may wish to consult other works before reading this one.

This is not the easiest book in the world to read. Then again, its subject matter is recondite enough to warrant its difficult essays. It is recommended that anyone who wishes to take on this monster first be acquainted with philosophy as well as contemporary 20th century cosmology. Stephen Weinberg's "The First Three Minutes" and Timothy Ferris' "The Whole Shebang" would be good places to start before attempting to read this book. It would also be helpful for one to have read at least one book on quantum mechanics ("Taking The Quantum Leap" by Fred Alan Wolf would be a wise choice) as a pre-requisite. Even having read these books beforehand, this is STILL not an easy book.

What this book deals with is the First Cause argument which St. Thomas Aquanis borrowed from Aristotle & then modified for Christianity. The question it confronts is "Why is there something rather than nothing?" The Creationist's answer is that the answer lies with God, the cause of all things. The atheists counter that this does nothing but push the question back, as then one must ask "where did God come from?" (if, indeed, the universe "came" from anywhere at all). If one cannot answer this, then why not just skip a step and say that nobody knows where the universe came from? (as opposed of taking the seemingly superfluous step of inferring a God or gods). William Craig Lane defends the theistic side of the argument while Quentin Smith takes the helm for the atheists. Both are quite erudite & it makes for a very good match.

In the 20th century, scientists used to adore the "steady state" theory, which was invented by Sir Fred Hoyle, the famous Cambridge astronomer. Why? you ask. Well, in the 1920s Edwin Hubble confirmed what Einstein's theory of Relativity had already predicted: the universe was either expanding or contracting (expanding, as it turns out). Due to the redshift, if one were to "run the film backwards" the universe must have been at a single point sometime in the remote past. However, if this were true, it would suggest that the universe had a beginning. However, if this were true, one could say that that was the moment of "creation" that Aristotle & St. Thomas Aquanis were talking about. This became known as the Big Bang theory.

Enter Hoyle. Hoyle speculated that there must constantly be matter "created" (for lack of a better term?) that "fills in the gaps" between galaxies as they rushed away from each other. This became known as the "steady state theory." The theory was very ad-hoc, but it did preserve an infintely old universe and was adopted by over 90% of the scientists on the planet.

The story took a decided turn in the mid 1960s when Arno Penzias & Ralph Wilson discovered the cosmic microwave background (CMB), which was radiation left over from the first instants of the incredibly hot Big Bang. Almost overnight, Big Bang passed the steady state theory in the HOV lane. Today, steady state is a dead theory.

To many scientists' horror, they once again had to grapple with the First Cause argument as applied to a finite universe. Sir Arthur Eddington once said "I find the idea of a beginnig to the universe repugnant. I should like to find a genuine loophole." Oscillating universe theory became the favorite "loophole" of atheists. However, it suffers from significant faults (as William Craig Lane describes in this book).

This is a wonderful book as the polemics of the First Cause argument are presented on the battlefield of cosmology rather than straight-philosophy these days. That is as it should be. The book is filled with paradoxes of infinity as well as the possiblity of the entire universe being a quantum fluctuation (virtual particle) gone awry. Although the book dabbles with the Anthropic Principle a wee bit, it is primarily focused on the question of causation. Did God create the universe? Or is it, as they say, turtles all the way down? Or did the universe LITERALLY appear out of nowhere (and nothingness)? Read this book & you will be much more informed to decide for yourself.

Knowing how to increase my productivity has benefited me in several ways: monetarily, satisfaction, competitive advantages for myself and clients, etc. Leohle explains why skill, motivation, and strategic use of time and effort results in professional success. Worthy library addition for any thinker.

Politicians have trusted advisers and strategists who guide them in their every move. There are, however, many professions that require innovative thinking and decision making, and whose practitioners have to be their own strategists. Of course, people in such occupations could do what most people do, which is to use a trusted colleague as a sounding board for their ideas. However, many times a colleague is not available, and even if one were, there is no guarantee that he or she will have the level of discernment needed for a particular problem. It is possible to circumvent the lack of a guru, a spin doctor or a discerning friend, by verifying our own ideas before implementing them. Loehle's book Thinking Strategically: Power Tools for Personal and Professional Advancement, teaches us how to condition our intellect to think ahead so that we can plan a strategy to attain that which is important to us. Naturally, this includes choosing the best path whilst avoiding pitfalls, side-tracking and even derailment from the path. For that, we must learn how to study the particular, while keeping an eye on the whole, and to keep in perspective several logical and causal connections simultaneously. Then, when we master how to think by ourselves, we must learn how to be our own sounding board, that is, how to check our results against all possible errors that can occur during the thinking process and compare them objectively against a known standard. This aspect of strategic thinking is referred to as reality check. The author distinguishes two types: internal and external. The former is important because many of the patterns we perceive are not real but artefacts of our imagination or, may have resulted from an array of potential errors of thinking such as faulty generalization, bad use of logic, incoherence and bad risk checking. The external reality check is like scientific hypothesis testing or the test drive of a new car, and it requires us to submit our result to an array of tests to discredit it, and finally to peer review. One does not need to be a book worm to fully appreciate this book but being reasonably well-read in scientific and technological matters will help to fully appreciate the examples taken from the great innovators. Thinking Strategically is a cornucopia of rich pickings of allegories, common sense and wisdom tempered by the amusing illustrations of Richard Loehle. I recommend this book for anyone challenged to provide novel ideas or solutions to problems still untackled by routine manuals. pires.obrien@netmatters.co.uk

Politicians have trusted advisers and strategists who guide them in their every move. There are, however, many professions that require innovative thinking and decision making, and whose practitioners have to be their own strategists. Of course, people in such occupations could do what most people do, which is to use a trusted colleague as a sounding board for their ideas. However, many times a colleague is not available, and even if one were, there is no guarantee that he or she will have the level of discernment needed for a particular problem. It is possible to circumvent the lack of a guru, a spin doctor or a discerning friend, by verifying our own ideas before implementing them. Loehle's book Thinking Strategically: Power Tools for Personal and Professional Advancement, teaches us how to condition our intellect to think ahead so that we can plan a strategy to attain that which is important to us. Naturally, this includes choosing the best path whilst avoiding pitfalls, side-tracking and even derailment from the path. For that, we must learn how to study the particular, while keeping an eye on the whole, and to keep in perspective several logical and causal connections simultaneously. Then, when we master how to think by ourselves, we must learn how to be our own sounding board, that is, how to check our results against all possible errors that can occur during the thinking process and compare them objectively against a known standard. This aspect of strategic thinking is referred to as reality check. The author distinguishes two types: internal and external. The former is important because many of the patterns we perceive are not real but artefacts of our imagination or, may have resulted from an array of potential errors of thinking such as faulty generalization, bad use of logic, incoherence and bad risk checking. The external reality check is like scientific hypothesis testing or the test drive of a new car, and it requires us to submit our result to an array of tests to discredit it, and finally to peer review. One does not need to be a book worm to fully appreciate this book but being reasonably well-read in scientific and technological matters will help to fully appreciate the examples taken from the great innovators. Thinking Strategically is a cornucopia of rich pickings of allegories, common sense and wisdom tempered by the amusing illustrations of Richard Loehle. I recommend this book for anyone challenged to provide novel ideas or solutions to problems still untackled by routine manuals. pires.obrien@netmatters.co.uk