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The title of Kathryn Kulpa's prize-winning collection, Pleasant Drugs, is a stroke of genius. The characters in these tightly written, I should say magical, and reachable stories choose a variety of pleasant drugs to soften the blows of harsh experience (drink, pot, conformity, fantasy). They are decent folks, just about all of them, so it's easy to identify, and when you think about even one of your own unresolved issues with others or with yourself - and remember the various safe places you have wanted to go with them - it's no wonder this collection won the Midlist Prize for Fiction. The book as a whole is about us, rendered with tremendous understanding and a sparkle that is rare in any form of straight, contemporary prose.

The stories are the sweet fruit of a lifetime of writing. Kulpa's first professionally published story appeared in Seventeen in 1994, and she has published work in a variety of magazines and journals over the last twelve years. Her story "How the Light Walks" received the Florida Review Editor's Award in Fiction, and "Los Gatos Bus" was honored with a supplementary award in the Bridport Prize International Writing Competition. Two other stories, "Insensates" and (the crown jewel) "Mr. Lillicrop's Shining Moment," were nominated for Pushcart Prizes.

The short stories in this impressive debut collection are populated with characters who will stay with you long after you've finished reading. From the comic book artist obsessed with a lost love in "Have You Seen Her" to the title character in "Mr. Lillicrop's Shining Moment" -- the most dignified drunk you'll ever meet -- the people of Kulpa's fiction find hope while dancing on the edge of hopelessness. My favorite story in the collection, "The Night Copernicus Died," is a surreal, lyrical meditation on redemption.

What consumes you?

BOOK REVIEW

'PLEASANT DRUGS'

By Kathryn Kulpa

Mid-List Press, Minneapolis

August 2005

232 pages

By Anne Kumar

Most people have some kind of "drug" in their life. It could be a woman you fantasize about meeting and talking to, a man who has left your life that you are trying to find, or even someone who brings adventure into your life.

In her book of short stories, "Pleasant Drugs," Kathryn Kulpa explores a variety of these situations through the eyes of characters of all ages. The young girl hides behind books from her parent's fights and sometimes the world. An old man with a good heart tries to swallow his sorrows with too many gulps of whiskey. Young people bumble through relationships. Women stay with men because it's comfortable. A man searches for the girl he drove away. College-age men and women look for love in all the wrong places.

Some of the stories seem commonplace, as if you're sure you have a friend who had the same experience. In the short span of each story, Kulpa uses her words carefully and purposefully to create characters and situations that seem real.

"Maintaining" is the story of a woman named Elizabeth working in a drug and alcohol treatment center. Events circle around her. Her boss is dealing with the death of a client. A woman is upset with her boyfriend who is supposed to be taking classes, and patients are coming in and out, looking for help, or denying that they need it.

But Elizabeth is less than affected by it. She tries to do the right thing but is not always successful. She even gets asked out by one of the men who attend class at the clinic.

In "Pleasant Drugs and Terminal Liquors," a married man who nearly lost his family because of his drinking faces the battle between booze and his family again. It's not obvious at first where the strain on their relationship comes from, but the hold liquor has on him quickly becomes evident.

A twentysomething couple struggles through a relationship that happened almost by accident in "Insensates." Linda and Barclay meet when she is applying for a job and shortly after are living together because of convenience. But serious decisions and a holiday fight force them to evaluate their relationship and decide if it's worth continuing.

But no matter the ages of the characters or the situation they find themselves in, each story weaves several themes into one short tale. The stories all contain a similar element - characters are confronted by whatever "drug" is consuming their thoughts or their lives.

Your drug may be in the book.

Copyright August 24, 2005--The Newport Mercury (Newport, RI)
www.newportmercury.com/arts/

Resolves the contradiction between Adam Smith's support of the "free market" and his repeated condemnations of monopoly and market abuse as "inevitable." Argues that Smith saw the "optimal form" of capitalism as being one in which responsible government under the tutelage of enlightened gentlement aristocrat/capitalist farmers could successfully keep in check negative tendencies of capitalism.

For all of those who want to tear away at the ruling class obfuscation of the topics discusssed in the book, this is a must read. Provides a clear and unparalled discussion of Smith et al.

Resolves the contradiction between Adam Smith's support of the "free market" and his repeated condemnations of monopoly and market abuse as "inevitable." Argues that Smith saw the "optimal form" of capitalism as being one in which responsible government under the tutelage of enlightened gentlement aristocrat/capitalist farmers could successfully keep in check negative tendencies of capitalism.

I have had this cookbook since Prevention first published it. Although I have many cookbooks, this one is my absolute all-time favorite for quick, healthy, delicious meals. Every week, when I plan my meals, I use at least 3 out of this book. I can't say enough good about it. The food is low fat, healthful, easy and quick to prepare and doesn't require alot of exotic ingredients. In fact there is a list in the introduction of the basic foods you need to have on hand to prepare the dishes in the books. There are even suggestions on the side for the use of leftovers. Get this one! I'm getting another for my daughter.

My husband and I both love to cook, and we have about six dozen cookbooks representing a wide range of cuisines. Yet I keep coming back to this one cookbook again and again. I've had it for about five years, I think, and probably a month hasn't gone by that I haven't cooked at least a few recipes out of it -- which I can't say for most of our cookbooks.

The meals are generally pretty easy to prepare; very few of the recipes require any special equipment or techniques that would throw off the beginner. There's a nice variety, with at least a few real "keepers" in every category (e.g., soups, sandwiches, stir-fries, meat-and-potatoes, etc.).

I especially like the fact that they give nutritional information for each dish, although I wish they included fiber (and sorry folks, no carb counting). The dishes are lower in fat and lower in calories than usual, and yet they don't require a lot of silly, time-consuming techniques to do so.

Also, many recipes have sidebars with hints about variations on the recipe, or how to use the leftovers to make a new dish.

The one thing I find a little annoying -- or more, amusing -- is that some of the pictures do NOT look like the finished dishes. The funniest one is the recipe for microwave polenta: the picture clearly shows *grill marks* on the polenta, yet the recipe never involves an oven or broiler, much less a grill. But the important thing is that the recipes come out tasting good.

My two favorites are Moroccan Chicken and Indonesian Rice with Chicken. The only recipe that really bombed (and we've probably tried 80% of them by now) was the Javanese Tempeh Curry. But the picture looks so delicious... haha.

Buy this book while you still can; I'm planning to buy all the used copies I can find to give to all my friends and relatives.

This cookbook is great for those of us who are busy, but who want healthful and tasty meals. The dishes are quick and easy to prepare and use common pantry items. The nutritional content is provided for each recipe, which is great if you are watching your calorie or fat (or any other) intake. Another feature I like is a "To Your Health" box that provides interesting and pertinent nutritional information about some of the ingredients used in the recipe. I rented this from the library but plan on purchasing it--even though it is out of print now!

Don't let the title fool you: this book did not become obsolete in 1980. Noonan provides a primer in Constitutional law as it applies to abortion in America. More recent cases have only built on their predecessors, so by all means read this important book.

Don't let the title fool you: this book did not become obsolete in 1980. Noonan provides a primer in Constitutional law as it applies to abortion in America. More recent cases have only built on their predecessors, so by all means read this important book.

I found this book in a box full of old books while staying at a friend's house ten years ago. It didn't seem like the kind of book you curl up with, but that is just what I ended up doing. The book was written in 1979, but it illuminates things that are going on even now and explains the legal background and elite cultural attitudes behind them. It also clears up a lot of misconceptions and outright falsehoods that are passed along "Telephone-Game"-style, by the media.

The tone of the book is fair, reasonable, measured and even scholarly. Noonan is no Ann Coulter or James Carville.

I was pro-choice 10 years ago. I am now pro-life, and John Noonan's book had a lot to do with that change. Don't read it if you don't like having your positions challenged.

Nowadays, when most Americans think about people who are on the side of peace and against U.S interventionism, they tend to think about those on the Left. Of course, this isn't as true as it used to be, considering that many on the Left supported Desert Storm and the attack on Serbia. ...

However, as Ronald Radosh (no man of the Right) points out, many on the Right were opposed to U.S. imperialism, globalism, and war going back to the Spanish American War. In fact, the traditional approach of the Right is a non-interventionist foreign policy (often misleadingly called "isolationism.") On the other hand, it was those on the Left - such thinkers as John Dewey ...who supported U.S. involvement in foreign wars and smeared non-interventionists.

In this outstanding book, Dr. Radosh profiles five opponents of interventionism of the Right: Charles Beard, Oswald Villard, John Flynn, Robert Taft & Lawrence Dennis. These people didn't agree on everything, and one or two might not be accurately called members of the "Right." (Villard, for example, drifted from laissez-faire to support of Roosevelt's economic policy.) But they were against U.S. globalism. Radosh details their position with respect to entry into World War II and then their opposition (in whole or in part) to the Cold War.

What happened in the 50s and the 60s is that the Old Right was preempted by William Buckley and others (some of whom were Socialists and former Marxists) and the Cold War become a moral imperative, even if it meant endless U.S. intervention in the affairs of other countries. (This sad fact is well told in Justin Raimondo's RECLAIMING THE AMERICAN RIGHT.)

This is one of the most exciting books I've read in a while. It's fascinating to read about those on the Right who were against both the welfare AND the warfare state. They knew that interventionism abroad would mean big government at home.

Now that the neo-conservatives are beating the drums of war against Iraq, Iran, and who knows wherever, it is time to reclaim a great heritage of conservatives for peace. Prof. Radosh's book is an excellent place to start.

Throughout most of the Cold War, 'responsible conservatism' spoke with one voice. Typified by William F. Buckley and 'National Review' magazine, it advocated energetic opposition to Soviet expansionism -- an internationalist posture of military alliances, proxy conflicts, and 'war in the shadows.' Opposition to this policy came primarily, if not exclusively, from the Left.

Or so it seemed.

Now that the end of the Cold War has led to a 'conservative crack-up,' more voices on the Right are willing to risk being tarred 'isolationist' to stand up for a principled stand of non-interventionism, an approach Ronald Radosh quotes Nicholas von Hoffman as calling (speaking of the views of Sen. Robert A. Taft) 'a way to defend the country without destroying it, a way to be part of the world without running it.' In such a climate, the views of men like those described in this book are beginning to be rediscovered and re-appreciated.

Radosh's subjects -- Charles A. Beard, John T. Flynn, Oswald Garrison Villard, Sen. Robert A. Taft, and Lawrence Dennis -- cover both a relatively broad span of time and a wide ideological spectrum. Despite the subtitle's description of these men as 'conservative critics of American globalism,' several of them found themselves associating (or associated) with conservatives as a result of their criticisms, as opposed to their criticisms arising from an innately conservative philosophy. Beard, for example, advocated in the 1930s a centralized, planned economy. Villard, who began as a devoted free-marketeer, later was an enthusiastic supporter of the New Deal. One of the interesting strands of this book is watching how these men's political philosophies change and evolve (or devolve) over time.

Do these men have any relevance to us today? Absolutely. The so-called 'revisionist' viewpoint Beard and others brought to analysis of World Wars One and Two is now beginning to be applied to the Cold War too. More importantly, the internationalist thrust is still alive and well in American politics today -- the need for an articulate opposition is as great as ever.

For example: In his 'Conclusions,' Radosh notes that voices on the Left had arisen to criticize American involvement in Viet Nam (my edition of this book was published in 1975), using many of the same arguments the 'conservatives' had used to oppose interventionism in previous decades. Former assistant secretary of defense Paul Warnke is quoted as arguing that the Constitution 'cannot be read to give the President "the right to carry on an air war in a civil conflict in a tiny country on the other side of the world."' And yet, a quarter-century later, when an American president decided to carry on an air war in a civil conflict in a tiny country on the other side of the world, the most articulate voices in opposition to it came from the Right -- from the intellectual heirs of the men in this book. That's what makes this important.

Today, the 'Buckleyite' wing of conservatism remains dominant. But as the conservative bloc continues to crumble, a wider variety of ideas and approaches will arise, all legitimate heirs of the 'conservative' mantle. A key to speeding the process along will be to acquaint conservatives (and the American people generally) with some of their silenced heroes, the voices in the wilderness profiled in this important book.

_Prophets on the Right: Profiles of Conservative Critics of American Globalism_ by left wing scholar Ronald Radosh, first published in 1975, is a book which takes a look at some of the forgotten and all too often maligned Old Right critics of American interventionism. Radosh, who originally began his career as a sort of libertarian socialist and later moved to the right, wrote this book under the guidance of such Old Right libertarians as Murray Rothbard. The thinkers whose profiles appear in this book offered criticism of American interventionism, beginning with the American intervention in the First and Second World Wars and culminating in the Cold War, as well as of the creeping influence of the state that interventionism brought. These thinkers include the Progressive historian Charles A. Beard, the editor-journalist of the liberal _Nation_ Oswald Garrison Villard, the noted titular head of the Republican party ("Mr. Republican") Senator Robert A. Taft, the economist and writer John T. Flynn, and the self proclaimed intellectual "fascist" Lawrence Dennis. Against the smears of "isolationist" these critics challenged the interventionist foreign policies of such politicians as Woodrow Wilson, F. D. R., and Harry Truman. They called into question America's role in foreign wars which did not concern its direct national interest. And, they often did so at great personal loss.

Charles A. Beard began as a Progressive historian whose writings on the Constitution of the United States challenged accepted belief. He came to challenge the foreign policy of Wilson and Roosevelt advocating neutrality. With the entry of the United States into the Second World War, Beard became a revisionist, attempting to show how F. D. R. had provoked the attack upon Pearl Harbor to cause the United States to enter the war. He was treated harshly by his contemporaries and by later historians for his "isolationist" stance.

Oswald Garrison Villard was an editor and journalist for the _Nation_ who originally advocated anti-imperialism, pacifism, and the liberal doctrine of laissez-faire economics. He was related to abolitionists and he too would come to favor civil rights for blacks as well as women's suffrage. Later, Villard was to come to change his laissez-faire economic positions somewhat, but for his opposition to F. D. R. and to America's entry into World War II he was removed as a writer for the _Nation_. Villard later came to join the America First committee which advocated an anti-interventionist policy. He also later was to become a critic of the Cold War with Russia and opposed the anti-communist hysteria which led to investigation of Hollywood screenwriters.

Robert A. Taft came from an old political family and had the reputation for being a dogmatic "isolationist". He led the Republican opposition to F. D. R.'s interventionist policies in the Second World War. Taft was vehemently anti-communist and noted that "the victory of communism in the world outside of America would be far more dangerous to the United States from an ideological standpoint than the victory of fascism". Taft came to challenge the Nuremberg tribunal as well as supporting Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist crusade. However, Taft also came to oppose the Cold War believing that Chinese communism was more militaristic than Soviet communism.

John T. Flynn began as a liberal or radical in economic matters, seeking to find an answer to the curse of bigness in industry. However, Flynn moved to the right advocating a non-interventionist policy in the Second World War. He also came to campaign actively on behalf of the America First Committee. Flynn along with Charles A. Lindbergh were frequently smeared as "anti-semites" or "fascists" because of the presence of certain rather unsavory elements within the committee. Later Flynn came to embrace McCarthyism and anti-communism though he remained opposed to the Cold War arguing the Soviet military did not pose the threat it was believed to. This led him into conflict with William F. Buckley when he submitted an article to the _National Review_.

Lawrence Dennis remains a problematic figure for many given his open avowal of fascism as a form of socialism. Dennis began as a capitalist interventionist who later came to see the problems with capitalism and war and developed his own belief in a coming American fascism. The use of the word fascism by Dennis led him into difficulties, particularly with many communists who saw him as a fomenter of anti-semitism and racism despite the fact that his books included none of this. Dennis argued that in trying to overcome fascism and entering the Second World War, the United States would go fascist itself, leading to his opposition to entry into war and F. D. R.'s policies. Later Dennis came to abandon some of his early socialist beliefs advocating a form of laissez-faire but remaining opposed to bigness as well as foreign intervention. He remained firmly opposed to the Cold War as well as an opponent of McCarthy, probably because he himself had been tried for sedition during the Second World War.

This book reveals some of the neglected thinkers of the American Old Right who opposed foreign intervention, the new world order, and global war. While today the Right has been largely taken over by neoconservatives who advocate interventionism, these thinkers represent an older Right which resolutely opposed the senseless entry of the United States into wars which did not concern its direct national interest.

I trully enjoyed this book, even though I am not a fan of text books. It has helped me develop stronger speaking skills, and I am not very good at public speaking. It's not a how to book, its simply a guide which offers tips and ideas on how you should present various topics.

I'm a student at a local college here in Jersey City. I found this book very easy to read but doesn't defeat the purpose to inform. I really wish I can have him as my teacher.

THANKS HAMILTON!

As a college instructor of oral communication for ten years, I complained bitterly about the poor selection of books for beginning students--until now. This is the single best book of its kind on the market, bar none. In all my years, I've never had students brag on a book like this one: easy to read, well-organized, thoughtful, practical, visually attractive, and substantive. My best compliment is that I can teach three times the material in half the time just by using this text--and people understand it! I can't brag enough on the author's work. This is phenomenal. ANYONE who wants to master the basics of public speaking should read this cover to cover. The principles and techniques Mr. Gregory describes are effective, powerful, and described in a simple way. BRAVO! I'll recommend this to everyone.

This is a splendid volume. Harry Roberts and Bernard Sergesketter have written an excellent and helpful book. The great strength of the book is that the reader gets to apply the ideas for themself, not just in an "organizational fashion." Introducing the idea of a Personal Quality Checklist, the authors discuss how to manage self-improvement in a data-based way. In the process they dispense a good amount of useful wisdom about improvement, quality and psychology.

Strongly recommended. It is easy to build individual or team-based projects in courses based on the idea - and to give the students the opportunity to actually apply the tools they are learning about. And the best method of learning involves doing!

The late Harry V. Roberts and Mr. Sergesketter have written an outstanding book. Intended in part as an introduction for managers to how quality improvement programs FEEL for workers, it does much more. It is an introduction to systematic self-improvement for those looking for provable results.

The approach is simple. It starts with the "Personal Quality Checklist", an idea that goes back at least as far as Benjamin Franklin. The goal is to eliminate defects and reduce cycle times on repetitive personal processes. The means is systematic record-keeping. The personal processes could be brushing one's teeth, being on-time for appointments, maintenance of an exercise program. In other cases the focus might be on defects, such as saying "like" as an interjection in speech (as in, "I was, like, soooo bored, dude.") or fidgeting in class or at a meeting.

The book takes various ideas from the quality movement in industry and illustrates or suggests their application in personal processes.

I am sure that the very idea of this will upset some folks. They probably aren't going to be persuaded. But, if, like me, you are skeptical of most over-blown self-help books and courses, this modest, semi-scientific approach may be just the ticket for demonstrable, lasting self-improvement.

If it was good enough for Ben Franklin, ....

This is a life-changing guide to quality in simple relatable terms. I always thought Quality was an enterprise thing and it didn't relate to me, the individual. It has helped me address everything from responding to requests on time to routine exercise and weight control. A must read for anyone who believes in quality principles. Everyone talks quality but to apply it personally is to truly understand the word.

This is the best free camping guide I have ever seen of its kind. The driving directions were precise and easy to follow. We never once found ourselves in the middle of nowhere. It was surprising to discover that the author had done all of the work for us. No reservations were needed, and we camped free all over the state of Washington, just as the book described. We recommend this book for even the most inexperienced campers, and anyone who cares to enjoy the spectacular beauty of the Pacific Northwest free of charge. It also is a great gift to give to friends who like to fish, hike and camp in the middle of nature, instead of a Wal-Mart parking lot.

This wonderful camping book has given me great pleasure. While camping out I have found great places to camp and cheap. The spiral note book made it handy to keep the campground I was searching for easy to find. The pages were easy to keep at the right place at the time I needed. Not that it was hard to find the campgrounds. It was just very handy and made my traveling a lot easier. The hikes were breath taking. The quotes and jokes are an enjoyment to read on the trip!! Thank you for this wonderful camping book.
I am looking forward to the Oregon camping book, so I can give it to my kids?? And maybe enjoy some camping trips along with them. Thank you for this wonderful camping book.
Erna Berghuys(Washington)

What an original way to inform the world about our beautiful scenery here in WA state! I love Ray's Guide! It is very informative. Hey ther Ray hows Mexico?? Miss ya =)

Love
Laura

I find myself singing along with my 4-year-old and my 3-year-old to these catchy tunes. They have such great messages and I think they're great to help my kids develop socially and emotionally. I love the "clean-up" song. Picking up the house is so much easier and fun now! And I love the "bully" song which innoculates our kids against tauntings of future bullies. We can talk about feelings with our kids. This CD is catchy, educational, and fun! A must-have for all children to have the tools necessary to survive in today's world.

I bought this album on an impulse and it was the best thing I ever got my 8 year old daughter Cassidy! Every song has a wonderful, positive message. She plays it and sings to it everyday. We have conversations about the songs and what they are about. She can relate to all the songs. I now buy the album as birthday gifts for all her friends. This is a must buy!

I broght this home for my [....]daughter one afternoon, later that night she played it and read the book that came along with the CD. She listened to all of the songs over and over again. She eventually began singing with the songs using a microphone attached to a Karaoke machine. One night she had a sleep over with a friend and they put on a show for our family using the songs from this CD as the theme of their show.

It is a great thing to watch my daughter interact with the music and the words on this CD. I am convinced that it will make a very positive impact on her life especially at such a critical time in her developement.

And, the songs are pretty catchy even for adults! It is a very well done production, somethiing everyone will love and learn from.

Dr. Monday has simplified the Bible's message of freedom through Grace in such a wonderful way. His message is easy to understand yet holds firmly to all truth. His examples are unique and truly insightful. I highly recommend this book to anyone--from the simply curious to the long-time Christians--who wants to really understand how wonderful God's gift of freedom through Grace is. Then go and be free!

Reborn free is for everyone that has ever been offended or burned by organized religion. Reborn Free goes beyond traditional religion to look for truth in the Bible. It very adquately points out the difference between the wonderful grace of God as opposed to the religion of man. Anyone would be helped and blessed by reading Reborn Free

'REBORN FREE' is an excellent must-read for every Christain. Dr. Monday has written a book that is so easy to read and understand, yet it is so very thorough and balanced in it's coverage of God's truths about 'freedom in Christ' and the dangers and warnings about legalism. It truely is a 'Handbook to Freedom'. When the 'Reborn Free' message gets into a persons heart there is an abundant joy that remains that no person, situation, or legalistic message can quench. Legalism is doing much damage in our churches today and Dr. Monday touches most every area and issue in the everyday Christian life that this applies to and he has given the Biblical truths to show you the direct path to freedom. This book is one to return to over and over.