I liked the book up until page 20. I was so hurt I couldn't read beyond that point in her book.I am a mother of three boys and I am a mother of three babies taken to heaven before their birth. I bought the book because a friend of mine lost her 17 year old son within weeks of my baby dying. My friend and I have another friend who is always saying things in a hurtful way and I was going to send this book to her.

On page 20 the author makes a reference about how a dog dying isn't the same as a child loss and then in the next paragraph says that a misscarriage is sad and even heartbreaking but not the same as losing a child. That cut through me like a knife. I felt my baby girl kicking in my belly, I saw her waving and I have pictures of her. My baby was a child and my other two babies that I lost were children. Even God recognizes them in Psalms, He has their days planned out before they are even formed in their mothers womb. My future did lie with my babies. My daughter was 4 1/2 months gestation when she died. A very real family member in my eyes. I don't have the strength to help this author understand that my miscarried children were children and I would have given anything to of met them atleast for one day. I will meet my babies someday and raise them in a perfect world when I get to heaven. We were all 4 1/2 months gestational in our mother's womb, does that mean we are more important because we were born and our babies weren't? This author on page 19 says "Why would anyone ever want to compare the severity of grief? Who ever knows how the loss feels to the person grieving?" Then on the very next page she compares the grief of mothers who have babies taken to heaven before they are born. I don't understand this. My heart is broken for any parent who loses a child and I agree until it happens to you, you can never truly know how it feels but I truly feel the pain of anyone who loses children at any STAGE of life. I was truly hurt by this book and I will be sending it back. When I saw this book, I thought, good, a way to help friends understand how our dreams, our future, and the life we planned for our babies, and how we feel we were cheated out of all of the above when our babies died. My three boys talk about their sister all of the time. My miscarried babies are real family members to us. Julane, I am sorry for your lose of Darren but please take your own advice on how to be thoughtful to all kinds of parents who lose their children. May God Bless you.

This is a wonderful little book for people who have a friend who has lost a child but has not lost one themselves. It tells all the important do's and don'ts. One thing I would like to recommend is that you know your friend and don't take all this "advice" so literal. I have one friend that does not want to have other parents tell her how their children are doing in all their activities. It is still so painful for her to hear these things with it being so sudden after her son's death. Practice sensitivity and know that the pain of lossing a child is the greatest of all.

This little book has packed within its pages, marvelous advice. So many of us either find ourselves coping with childloss or attempting to assist someone else who has lost a child. It is a well written, most helpful guide to both those in bereavement and to those helping a friend cope with the loss of a child. The author, a bereaved parent, so well expresses how hurtful it is to hear typical phrases from those who are well-meaning, though so wrong in their approach. It is an excellent read and an on-hand reference that everyone should have BEFORE the need arises. What a wonderful, anytime gift for anyone! Bravo, Julane Grant!

There are excellent guidelines in this book. If you purchase it, you will be getting good information except for one very important area which appears to be completely overlooked. In today's grant market, you must know how to design good outcome measures. The concepts of goals and objectives come into play here (and are addressed in the book), but the buzz words are "outcome measures". I wish the authors had included a chapter or two on designing outcomes measures for both project oriented grants and for general operating grants (which is by far the harder to design).

The information here is good. It is easy to understand and, from my experience as a full time grant writer, right on the mark. Just know you will have to attend a workshop or find another place to learn about outcome measures.

In recently conducted grant workshops for teachers this guide was most helpful.For future workshops-- for educators applying for grants in their field, another title might be more appropriate and targeted to needs of educators. Educators usually have an RFP in hand and this book is helpful to find funding ....which isn't always the educator's focus at that moment.

I am an intermediate grantseeker who hoped to find a book that would assist me in further honing my writing. This book did just that. It is concise yet substantial and provided me with a fresh approach that will be useful for years to come. The language is intelligent (the authors steer clear of trite, 'inspirational' language), clear, and honest. I suggest this book for anyone interested in the grantseeking process.

I really loved the JLA as a kid and looked forward to sharing it with my son. This trade really disappointed me and on re-reading has disappointed me more.
Story lines: I guess they have run out of acceptable opponents--maybe cause they made the heroes so powerful. One story they confront 5th dimensional beings, in another, 6th dimensional beings. What's next 7th dimension?
Art work: Fancy colors but look at the characters: they are all standing around in muscle poses, hands on hips or arms crossed. The action seems cardboard. Those poses are fine for cover art but should't they look like they are doing things?

I just think things in comics have gone down hill--I will get my son as many reprints from the 50s and 60s and let him appreciate the genre as I have.

This graphic novels comprises three or so stories from the JLA. A couple are good and a couple seem to be written high on drugs. Grant Morrison is one of the most inconsistent writers. I don't know why he's praised so much. One of the highs for me was bringing in the living members of the JSA. It's great to see the old Flash, etc. back in action. And seeing Captain Marvel (Shazzam) and Superman battling each other was also a great moment. Too many of the stories don't coincide well. (Some of the action takes place during the "Batman: No Man's Land" era.)And some are there just to setup later stories. Overall, although a mixed bag... it was an entertaining read.

As an old timey comic reader who followed the JLA in the sixties, this book was a revelation. The artwork is detailed and dynamic, with some of the best coloring work I have ever seen! The stories are a notch above the original JLA stuff and except for the Shaggy Man concept are very engrossing. Bringing in the JSA was a nice touch. It is still my favorite super hero team with their neurosis and bickering thrown into the mix. At the end of the book, a reader can feel they got great bang for the buck. It really whets the appetite for the other TPB's in the series.

His analysis of where we are is lucid and convincing. Unfortunatly, his solution is a return to bible-thumping WASP mentality.

Personally, I'm not certain I don't prefer anarchy and mahem. Religious values that include denigration of women and abuse of children are part of the problem, not the solution.

And while public life was undeniably more orderly, safe, and pleasant, some incredibly nasty things went on behind closed doors in the 50s.

We need to go forward with a clear, dispassionate understanding of our history. We not only can't go back, if we could it would be another tragedy.

It's an interesting book and I'd recommend reading it, but don't expect to find rational solutions.

Huckabee with Grant provide us with a fine delving into this issue which has so tugged at the hearts of Americans: our kids killing other kids.

Many thought this very thing would happen (along with all the other cultural malice we have) given the cultural downturn did not right itself.

Convincingly and winsomely, this book presents the road America has been on and is being urged on by the postmodernists, but one that is destroying the very foundations and fabric of our great country .... faith, family and work.

They well document the contributors, and resolve that government and legislation are not the answer. Culture must gather itself around these three areas, faith, family and work.

Fine expose on the topic. We can't expect or let the government do those things for which we individually and communally were created to attend to as stewards.

This is a very quick read and presents a thorough overview of a disturbing problem. I finished it in less than 24 hours.

Mike Huckabee was governor of Arkansas when the tragic schoolyard shooting took place in Joneboro. In the heat of such an unforeseeable horror, many voices offered soundbite explanations as to what could possibly have cause such nightmare-stretching pogrom. Unfortunately, as the governor wisely points out, many of these diversely-intended know-it-alls look at one aspect of the problem but fail to dig deeply enough to reach it true roots.

The books detailed hypotheses will not sit well with those who wish to utilize such a tragedy to call for strict gun control regulations. The authors (Dr. George Grant collaborated with the governor) wisely explore the current splenetic forces at work throughout American culture from the breakdown of the family to Hollywood's repeated celebration of gratuitous violence. In one especially harrowing chapter the reader enters a perverse video game and sees just how much hate and violence is being peddled at American children.

If the book has one drawback is that it may be that it will be confined to preaching to the choir. Tumescent with quotes and references to support every idea propounded, the authors rely almost exclusively on conservative voices from William Bennett to Alan Keyes to Michael Medved. Few open-minded people could serious question the knowledge of these sources, but their pandemic citings and the under-representation of liberal mover and shakers (and there a few who advocate such common sense values) may turn off those who ideology blinds them to the sapience of conservatives.

It's definitely worth a read and will serve as a useful tool to parents who must contend with a culture that is assiduously fighting them at every turn.

This price guide is a waste for the true collector of vintage cards. There is nothing in here you can't find in a montly rag. Waste of money!!!

If you collector of oddball, food issues, draft picks, minor league or disc cards, you'll be disappointed. No oddball cards from Front Row or regional Police Safety sets. No information about the autograph cards of Ripken & Smith from Jimmy Dean. Beckett does not feature any draft pick cards from Classic. Minor league cards - forget it. You'll find no TCMA cards here! King-B discs are featured, but you will have a tough time finding any others in the book.

Another complaint I had was the sets have moved since the last time I had purchased this book. For instance, the 1991 Cracker Jack I Series, is now found under Topps, not Cracker Jack.

If you collect mainstream cards and inserts, I am sure that you will be VERY pleased with the book. For the rest of us, the search continues.

I found this book to be a great resource for new cards. It has almost any set you can think of after 1948. However, they did away with the Vintage Cards section, and tobacco cards are almost non-existent. I must use an older version of Beckett's for my tobacco cards. Since this is where I focus my collection, I was rather disappointed. They would do better to reintroduce the extensive vintage cards sections like in the past editions.

'The blood of the moon''the author purports to have taken this title from a verse of the Qur'an, which, according to him, is the 112th verse of the 9th chapter. In fact, this phrase does not occur anywhere in the Qur'an. The first part of George Grant's misquotation resembles the 111th verse of the 9th chapter. The actual translation of this verse is: 'Verily, Allah has bought from the believers their lives and their properties for (the price) that theirs shall be the Paradise. They fight in Allah's Cause, and slay and are slain. It is a promise which is binding on Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur'an. And who is truer to his covenant than Allah? Rejoice then in the bargain which you have concluded, for that is the supreme success.'

The next verse continues: '(The believers whose lives Allah has purchased are) those who turn repentant (to Allah), those who serve (Him), those who praise (Him), those who fast, those who bow down, those who fall prostrate (in worship), those who enjoin the right and who forbid the wrong and those who keep the limits (ordained) of Allah - And give glad tidings to believers!'

These are rather flagrant inaccuracies; especially unforgivable since the Qur'an in Arabic and its English translation are freely available on thousands of websites, for example [website]. Can the rest of Grant's book be trusted for accurate information? For a 5 minute introduction to Islam try [website]

Presenting a background to the roots of the Middle East conflict with any degree of clarity and brevity is no mean achievement. Yet in some 130 pages that is exactly what the author has to some extent achieved here.

The book covers the age-old conflict between Arab and Jew, tracing it's origins back to the time of Abraham and his sons Isaac & Ishmael.

From there the author devotes a chapter to each significant period of history in the region, whilst presenting an overview of the current dilemmas facing the region at the time of writing in 1991, which are remarkably similar to those still faced today.

Sections of the book are also devoted to the region's great empires of antiquity including those of Egypt, Assyria, Persia and Babylon. The Crusades are also covered, plus the more recent historical involvement of the British, French & Russians following the First World War and the break-up of the Ottoman Empire and the mapping of the 'modern' Middle East.

Drawing on references to the Bible, the Quran and Biblical prophecy, the writer tries to make some sense out of the current conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and what the region's future holds for us all.

The author examines how World opinion has turned against Israel through the Palestinian 'intifada', whilst other similar & larger 'intifadas' have been downplayed or ignored by the World's media and the International Community.

He makes reference to the 'intifadas' of the Kurds in Iraq, the Shiites in Tajukskaya, the Albanian Muslims in Kosovo, the Druze in Lebanon, the Azaria in Azarbidjan, the Sunni in Kashmir, the Armenians in Turkey, the Dinka in Sudan and the Copts in Egypt. The writer queries why the 'Palestinians' are always in the news and yet the others are hardly ever mentioned.

The writer declares his goals of trying to understand the 'perilous present' and the 'frightening future' by shedding some light on the 'ponderous past'. His attempts to do this are commendable, although not error free.

Especially in relationship to his use and understanding of the historic term 'Palestine'. The term 'Palestine' only originating in AD135 when the Romans changed the name of the Jewish nation to 'Syria Palaestina' which eventually become anglicised into 'Palestine'. The name of Jerusalem also being changed at the same time by the Romans to 'Aelia Capitolina'. The author's brevity in relation to the British Mandate also results in the omission of some essential data.

Having said that, this is a useful book for those beginning their studies in the Middle East conflict, but there are better books out there. "Philistine; The Great Deception" by Ramon Bennett is highly recommended and Hal Lindsey has also recently released another useful study entitled "The Everlasting Hatred; The Roots Of Jihad".

This is an excellent book to aid in an understanding of the threat of terrorism and the ongoing crisis in the middle East. George Grant compares the Christian worldview as opposed to the Muslim beliefs. Where the divergence came from and where it seems to be leading us. Very readable and interesting book. One you will want to share with many friends.

I have a HUGE collection of Charles Grant's books. His best one by far is "For fear of the night." I highly recommend this one; you should track it down and read it! As for Black Oak, well, it's a cool series. I'm currently reading #3 right now. It's some cool stuff. It's pulp fiction, though. I mean, if you want to learn something about life read Emerson. If you want to let your hair down and relish some pulp fiction, then Grant's stuff is the best. Each book is easy reading and not very longwinded unlike King and other horror writers. Of course, the best horror writer is Robert McCammon and you should introduce yourself to him next time you go to the bookstore. "Swan Song" tops "The Stand" in my opinion.

Remember when The X-Files was great? When you couldn't get enough of Carl Kolchak's newspaper stories? Well this series of books is most definitely for you. The "pilot" episode is heavy on the atmosphere and red herrings. The answer may not pay off that well, but it will leave you anxious for the next "episode." Well done Mr. Grant, its been great having your books around for the last twenty years or so, I hope that Black Oak can last through its story cycle.

I thought that the book was great and that Charles Grant is great author, by the way the book keeps you guessing who it is till the end. I hope the next book comes out soon.

If you are a student of landscape architecture, it would be in your best interest to stay away from this book. It is truly outdated. The graphics here are mediocre at best (at the time of publication). Don't waste your money or time on this style of drawing. Unless Mr. Reid publishes a new and updated How-to book, I would think that this book will be out of print (hopefully soon). It is critical that students learn to draw and draw well, both by hand and computer. This book will not help in either endeavor. If you as a student of landscape architecture use this book to learn to draw the landscape, don't count on working as a Landscape Architect upon graduation. You will be lucky to find a job as a janitor in the office building of a second-rate 2person; design-build; landscape design office.

this book is great for reference if you need basic graphics to develop into your own, the graphics file at the end is pretty comphrehensive and easy to flip to for quick ideas. however, the graphics are extremely dated, drawn with conventions that would look strange in today's landscape drawings.

This book is used as a text book at several univerities and Community colleges. It is a basic text that alows a student to learn to draw graphics and symbols. The excersize in the back of the book are very helpful when first learning to draft graphics. It does not address computer graphics. If you want to produce those kinds of plans it is best to take a course in computer graphics. When first learning to draw graphics one has to start somewhere. This book does a great job!

This book (Shoeshine Girl by Clyde Robert Bulla) is about a girl named Sarah Ida that moved to Palmville to vist her Aunt Claudia. Sarah's parents sent her to Palmville because her parents could not take care of her over the summer. While she was on the train Sarah Ida wanted to start her life all over because her life was miserable. Sarah asked Aunt Claudia for money, but her mother said "No" because Sarah needed to learn the value of money! Sarah found a job. It was at a shoeshine store. Do you think Sarah learned a lesson in the ShoeShine Stand? So that's why the title is called the ShoeShine Girl. Do you think Sarah learned the value of money? What do you think Sarah spent her first day's pay on and why? How do you think Sarah feels working in the ShoeShine Stand?

We like this book because we can relate to Sarah at the begining of the book. One time one of us was on the train going to school, and we didn't feel like getting off. Similar to Sarah she didn't want to get off on the train because she wanted to change her life all over again.

Our opinion for this book is really good because every chapter tells you something new. For example in chapter 4 it was very suspenseful. We were thinking that she was going to steal the money and spend it. Maybe she would get caught and would have to look for another job instead of working at the ShoeSineStand.

So now you know about this girl named "Sarah Ida" who works at the ShoeSine Stand. We would like to recommend this book to people that like reading realistic fiction books!

The book is called Shoeshine Girl by Clycle Robert Bulla. This book started with a girl named Sarah Ida who was told to get on a train to Palmville but she didn't want to. She had no choice but to go. She planned on staying and did she get off? Well....read the book and find out. They got the title of the story when Sarah went to find a job and found one in a shoeshine stand and one day Al, her boss, went to buy some shoe polish. Do you know what happened afterwards? Al got hit by a car and was sent to the hospital. Sarah Ida kept the shoeshine stand open and polished people's shoes all by herself. Do you think it's good so far? Do you also think that Sarah Ida is a responsible person for taking care of the store?

We learn that if you want money, you need to earn money yourself. We like this book because it talks about character's feelings. For example, Sarah felt hurt when Sarah wanted money and Aunt Claudia didn't give her money because she said "Your mom told me not to give you any." We disliked the part when Al got hurt. We like this book because it was good and because it was talking about her life. Her life changed a lot throughout the story. She use to be with people that are so awful. It was awful because she had friends that would take things. What we think that changed her life was being with Al and her aunt because they taught her how to cook, the value of money, and how to polish a shoe.

We think that this book would be good for people who want to find a job. We also recommend this book to fourth and fifth graders.

I remember when I was in third grade, I would go to my grandmother's house and ask for her to read me The Shoeshine Girl over and over again. This book is great to help children understand the importance of unselfishness and responsibility with money. Sarah Ida's character in the book starts off being a cold and uncaring little girl, but through her experiences with living with Aunt Claudia and working for Al at the shoeshine stand, she becomes a responsible and loving child. I would highly recommend reading this book with children, it is a great story and they will learn the moral of responsibility from it too!

My family recently attempted to adopt a young girl who spent the first several years of her life in Raina's environment. I can speak from personal experience and countless hours of research when I say that life never works out like Raina's. I recently wrote a research paper for a class on the subject, and I could not find a single true successful story about adoptive families who invite kids with these kinds of problems into their homes. So the end of the novel, as it stands-all wrapped up, with a ribbon and a happy ending-is absolutely ridiculous.
Additionally, the novel contains scenes that, in any realistic situation, simply couldn't happen. There could never be a boy with a knife in a skating rink, chasing a pregnant teen. It's simply unrealistic.
To me, the novel comes off as uninformed and unresearched. Cynthia Grant writes about a situation that is very serious and real, and she does it in such a way that we, as readers, believe that they always end with bunnies and gum-drops. As an informed reader, I don't buy it!

Raina, a 16 year old finds herself in many frustrating, confusing situations. She not only has family issues, but issues of her own. Very personal underlying problems which she writes about in her journal. She lets a teacher--Miss Johnson--read her entries in hope that she can get help. Raina wants help...but doesnt come out and tell anyone she is in trouble. Raina searches endless possibilities of a life she wants to create, yet more and more stands in the way. Her mother is an addict--alcohol and cocaine. Raina quotes in the novel her mother didnt have a great childhood so shes out to continue searching for that missing piece in her life. I especially was impressed with how the author described Raina and her life. The journal entries that Raina writes are deep and really give you the idea of how depression is and how her life is. I am the type of person who usually does not willingly read novels, but i had to choose one for my english class. I chose this book because it seemed interesting ... one of those books you dont want to put down because its so in-depth. And this was one of those books. I kept reading, and reading. It was enjoyable, but not the absolute greatest book ive read. In a way, this book was a litte too full of problems...id like more happiness in a novel. All in all the author, Cynthia. D. Grant did a nice job.

I think the book was wonderful. I loved it. When I first read the book I thought it was wonderful. Now when I go to the library I check it out. I love it. It's a beautiful book that's maybe telling a teenager's life right now and I love it and you should too!!!!