if u think u gonna pass by reading this book... u better b jokin... i have it in front of me. Its dry.. not fun to read.. and above all... does not help u with the test at all.... i tell u... the best deal is SYBEX EXCHANGE 5.5 Guide... u will pass in no time... Finally, i would like to tell u all that its a very tough exam and to prepare well b4 givin the exam...

I thought this book would be very helpful considering the reviews I read. However, the book was not helpful at all. A class of twenty people purchased this book, and none of them found it very beneficial. The possible difference between my review and the others is that I was using this book to study for an exam. Other exam notes books may be more helpful such as those by sybex.

For months I have been looking for the 'perfect' book to assist me in supporting Exchange Server 5.5 - Truth is, that to find the perfect book is practically impossible - but this is as close to it as you will get. The authors have done a tremendous job of presenting this complex subject in an organised manner which is easy to follow and yet detailed enough to obtain the required answers. Having examined and researched many books on the topic, this is definately the one to go for. Well done Ms. Turlington and Mr. Schuler!

I happen to like sweet and funny romances including animals as pets, but this book was a huge disappointment. For instance, the stories included one about a cat who was a person/witch in cat form, caused by a spell from an evil woman. It was ridiculous to me. This book was more about fantasy/witchcraft than about cats. I found it to be disturbing overall, as it was more scary/unpleasant than it was romantic. In other ways it just seemed silly. I am not opposed to stories about witchcraft,in general, but these stories seemed to be more about spells and evil-doers than about romance and kitties. Not my "cup of tea." I discarded this one.

I was really let down by this book. The hint of supernatural sensuality was a total blow out. There's almost no magic except in the last story. There's no sexual encounters anywhere either, except in said last story a reference to the two main characters running off as cats. Um, anyone realize that feline coitus is unbelievable painful for a female?
Also the writers deal with the same areas, house, and some same characters, and they can't agree. Much to my horror, one of them killed off the benevolent elderly lady who bequeath's the cats in the four stories.
Like I say, it's a great idea but a really weak execution. Want something with cats but written by MUCH better writers?
Try "Fantasy" by Christine freehan et al.

It is a pleasant and sweet book. I really like the character Gisella Lowell and most of the others. I have a love for cats and romances so this was the book for me. I suggest any cat and romance lovers out there to read this sweet and enchanting book!

As a practicing Pagan, a grandmother, and an educator I am always looking for new activities to do with little ones which will help them appreciate Mother Earth and all her glories.

I was VERY disappointed in this book. It is poorly written, poorly edited and full of misspellings and typos. That would have been forgivable if the ideas it contained had been original, but they were also disappointingly common (blowing bubbles, making dream pillows, a recipe for bird food etc.)

The reader would be better off purchasing "Celebrating the Great Mother" by Cait Johnson and Maura D. Shaw or "Circle Round" by Starhawk, Diane Baker and Anne Hill. In fact, the "Little Hands Nature Book" by Nancy Fusco Castaldo promotes more spirituality than one will find here.

The ideas are cute but I didn't realize this was a book for witches. I'm merely a nature lover. Okay I did think that the ideas were good but the authors need to learn to spell magic and magical. Since when do these words have k's in them???

I've been collecting craft ideas related to my Wiccan spirituality for a long time, about 10 or 15 years. Some of the ideas in this book are similar to ones I have read before: dream pillows, bird food, etc. I was truly delighted by all the original ideas and seeing how another pagan mom applied them. It's not a book of strictly child-crafts. I'd say about 1/3 to 1/2 can be used for kids. The ideas I liked best for kids were the birthday cakes, jeweled curtains, and bird bath. I have incorporated at least half of the ideas into my every day life already and will use more next summer. Another unique thing about this book is that the authors incorporate funny and sad events from their lives and how they used them in their spirituality. Also, the book is written simply, without a lot of Ph.D. talk. It's like the authors are just talking to you, telling you how they do things. I guess some people might think that's poor editing or poorly written but I think it's great to find an author who doesn't talk down to the common person.

If you can stand all the gramatical and spelling errors, rambling sentences, font changes and dark pictures, the basic design is good. This is a classic example of a good mechanical mind that couldn't spend a few bucks on some professional editing and layout help. It's also frustrating that the manufactured part numbers could not be specified in the parts list. Emails for this information have gone unanswered. I built an ATV based on this idea successfully but would not reccommend this to anyone looking for a detailed recipe.

It wasn't what I expected, but for someone looking to build their own ATV it may be a good start. This is not so much a book as simply just a how-to manual to build a specific vehicle.

One thing that should be pointed out is that the ATV in this book is really just a go-kart. It's a well built one, but it lacks the suspension and finesse of a real ATV. To its credit, its a good looking and well designed go-kart. In fact, it looks somewhat similar to the old Honda Odyssey. With a few modifications though, this design could actually be made into a real ATV. All it needs is suspension and a better braking system.

There is something else I feel should be pointed out as well, something that the author completely overlooked. The author only lists a conduit bender, a hacksaw or chop saw, a Mig welder, and a square as the tools required to build this ATV. However, if you look at the photographs carefully you will notice that many of the joints where the round tubing has been welded are notched. This requires the use of a special tool, a tubing notcher, or at the very least a good hand grinder.

There are other omissions here and there as well. Many of the illustrations barely have enough detail for you to make out the construction lay-out. All in all, it's a very simplistic manual that experienced builders can use but inexperienced builders may be left out in the cold on some issues.

In spite of my criticism, I like this book, mainly because I like any book that shows someone how to build something for themself. I wish there were more books written on this subject particularly.

This book itself is a step in the right direction, but like the ATV that it illustrates, it lacks a lot finesse and and could be much, much better.

I would recommend this book to someone who is looking to build their son or daughter a very, very nice go-kart. However, if your idea of an ATV is one that you can jump, ride hard, and stop quickly, this is not what you are looking for.

This book is excellent for building an inexpensive all terraine vehicle. There are even update pages sent on a regular basis for those who have taken the time to register with the included registration page. I had not problems duplicating the ATV. Thanks

I was very surprised when I ordered this book and found out that yes, indeed, it was merely a very tiny portion of what I had expected. I suppose I should have known from the price, but the description (at least at that time) did not make it clear that it wasn't the entire dictionary.

While this may be a very thorough source for the words it covers, it should be noted in the basic information that this is ONLY 128 pages of a 15,000 page work. The description above is very misleading.

itz a dictionary. what more can i say

A book that can be use without paying for high price preparation class for civil service exam. I need to know that this book can be use as a self help tool to someone who wants to pass the civil service exam.

THIS BOOK IS ALOT LIKE THE REAL TEST. IT ALSO EXPLAINS HOW THE TEST ARE GRADED. IT HAS REALLY HELPED ME OUT.

This book seems to be intended as some kind of basic intro to surveillance. It does get a bit into techniques for black bag jobs, and he has some interesting views on the theory of transmitter range. But there is nothing specific on equipment. If you are looking for real information on building or acquiring those illegal devices, you'll have to look elsewhere.

I was going through a messing child custody battle and was worried about my phone lines. Turns out they were bugged. This book showed me how to locate and do away with the buggs. It also showed me how to do a little survallance of my own.

This book for children is about a young boy living on a farm in Bulgaria in the 1920s or early 1930s. In a way it is a little unusual (at least it seemed that way to me) in that the first half of the book appeared to be written for 8 to 11 year-olds whereas the second half of the book, as the boy Dobry grows older and wishes to be a sculptor, seems to be written for an older child. But, the book won the 1935 Newbery Medal for best contribution to American children's literature, so I may be in the minority in my opinion.

I agree with R. D. Allison about the split-personality of the books. I think, though, that the author was trying to show how Dobry was growing up. In the beginning, he is satisfied with slow country life but gradually grows to realize his dream is to become an artist.

DOBRY is a good book for learning about the culture of Bulgarian peasants. It is rich in the folk stories--how God created man and Hadutzi-Dare saved the world--and everyday life of these people. Also, the author conveys the village's excitement when the massage bear (you'll learn what it is!) comes to herald the summer.

The language is beautiful and Dobry is an eternal optimist. The characters represent different facets of village life--for example, the rotund mayor explains government and Dobry's grandfather shows Bulgaria's heritage.

The book introduced me to a culture that thinks differently and lives differently yet dreams the same. It's a lesson for anyone.

This recipe book was written by three vegetarians, who like many vegetarians need to supplement their diet with large amounts of cheese to get their proteins. These are not bird recipes - but people recipes, that use lots of oil, butter, cream and cheese. One recipe that started off well: "Pasta Salad" p.44, ends up with 16 oz of Italian dressing.

Things like "Tortellini in cream sauce" or "Rotelle and cheezy vegetables" or "Garlic-buttered vermicelli" should not be part of your bird`s diet or even yours if you are health concious.

What first caught my eye was a statement on the back of the book, "If your bird is a member of the parrot family, did you know that your bird has a palate nearly as sophisticated as that of a human?" Those of us who own birds and already know this now have a place to come to.

There are a couple of sections at the beginning of the book that are just overall information, "A Well-Balanced Diet for Your Bird," "Preparing Your Home (Nest) for Life With a Bird," "Baby Bird's Travel Checklist," and one that will tear your heart out, "The Beginning of the Joshua Foundation."

The "Entrees and Side Dishes for You and Your Bird" section looked fun. A lot of the recipes call for cheese, fat, and sugars. Although, I don't think our birds, especially the smaller ones, should have much of this, the recipes could be modified so you are comfortable with them and otherwise might be great as a sometimes treat. Other recipe sections include "Breads and Pastries," "Vegetable and Fruit Dishes," "Potatoes and Eggs," the entrees section, and "Treats."

Sprinkled (pun intended) throughout are a few birdie stories, each of which you will need to have a box of tissues close by to read. An index in the back allows you to look up recipes by main ingredients or recipe title.

The authors have no veterinary background. In fact, all of them are partners in a CPA firm. But they have a love for parrots, especially those in need, and I think have done a good job of putting together a variety of recipes for our birdies with discriminating palates.

I second the notions of the other reviewers who feel this collection sits heavy on the stomach of the mind (so to speak). Too much bland starch of info, too few servings spiced with literary feel, emotion, significance.

In no fewer than 234 entries (in 30 chapters), I found intensity of the writer producing intensity in me, only in these five items:

1. Wechsberg's report on the social-gastronomic intricacies of a boiled beef restaurant in earlier Vienna. Such fussing! Such snobbery. But, such expertise!

2. Grigson on English food. Sad but incisive critique of her nation's failings--at that time.

3. E. M. Forster on ditto--cameo sketch of a perfectly awful breakfast on a train is a gem.

4. Pelligrini on "the abundance of America"--heartfelt hymn to ham and eggs and more, with feeling.

5. Curnonsky on the political spectrum of gourmets, from far right (starched traditional), right, center, left, and far left (exotic ingredients and more). A classic truth perhaps.

Mere information is basic nourishment perhaps; literary quality is "finer cuisine" probably...?

For food literati greedy for the ample feast Choice Cuts offers in its 452 pages, two outcomes may arise. 1 - The charming collection of food history, recipes, and eloquent opinions is enough to satisfy the reader in a nightly-nibbling sort of way (you really will have to take it chapter by chapter). M.F.K. Fisher is predominantly laced throughout the other narratives and her presence alone warrants a read through as a daily reminder of the pleasures we could encounter everyday...

or

2 - Every night after you put down the book, however charming the prose or hindsight-humor of ancient observations on cabbage you'll sit and wonder why it's subtitled: "A Savory Selection of Food Writing from Around the World..."

Apart from a brief recipe for Baghdad Onion & Eggs and Confucian musings on the effects of food, the focus is acutely European/Western and if my georgraphy knowledge serves me correctly, there's still alot of the world left terribly underrepresented in the collection...

That is to say, perhaps other cultures didn't devote as much thought to the realm of food, agriculture, and health, etc. Or perhaps such writing never survived, never existed, was never bothered to be translated/researched properly. Judging, however, from the infinite number of dishes that manage to delight the palate whether or not served in the dilapidated charm of a tiny french restaurant, the book is a little lop-sided.

But still, for greedy ones like me, a good leisure read.

CHOICE CUTS
Mark Kurlansky, Editor
ISBN 0-345-45710-2

This book, a collection of writing about food, drags somewhat from the burden of including too much arcane material, for example Pliny the Elder's note on onions from the first century. Elsewhere, another chapter devotes too many words to the difference between a gourmet and a gourmand, which is perhaps not as critical to the reader as to the editor.

There are some excellent pieces in this book however. Among the best are the articles by M. F. K. Fisher, who was a food writer, but felt that food, security, and love are entwined. She also wrote very well. Her story about a last meal at a favorite restaurant before leaving France in 1932 is warm and witty. Fisher almost did not get the last meal because a waiter failed to recognize her and her husband. He spotted her precious accordion she was carrying on to the ship, assumed that they were street musicians, and showed them the door. In another article, Fisher writes about bachelors' cooking, "few of them under seventy-nine will bother to produce a good meal unless it is for a pretty woman."

Another fine piece by Jeremy Wechsberg about a restaurant in Vienna before the war, where the boiled beef specialties required a customer to have a thorough knowledge of the anatomy of a steer, is one of my favorites. The restaurant kept herds of cattle, fed with molasses and sugar beet mash to supply its pampered customers. The story, written in 1948, reflects a past lifestyle to which few of us could relate. It was said that Austrian poets lavished rhymed praise upon the delicacies they consumed at "Meissl & Schadn".

The George Orwell article about cooks and waiters in Paris is the writer at his best. The waiters made more than the cooks, and the waiters had the mentality of snobs. A shorter piece about English food is equally good. In it, Orwell offers, "England is a very good country when you are not poor." I also admired John Steinbeck's article about hunger in California during the depression. Steinbeck wrote that, when children starved, the coroners wrote "malnutrition" on the death certificate because is sounded better "when a thin child is dead in a tent".

This book offers a number of satisfying entrees, even for those whose main interests are other than food. However, one has to get through too many bland side dishes between them.