Bridge Books

It was hard for me, but I helped people I hardly knew who demonstrated they needed help and to this day it was one of the highlights of my life--to bring them out of their troubles. Get it. Learn it. Use it. (It's so easy, even I can do it.)

This book has some amazingly simple techniques that one person does to another person to ease pain, sober someone up, and help someone heal and get well, etc. I dropped a heavy chair on my toe and it turned blue and swelled - agony! Using a technique in this book, it healed in three days.

I like this book because it gives practical, exact methods you can use to help others when they are hurt or ill.

Not designed as a method of healing, this book addresses the emotional and mental aspects of illness and injury. I've seen reports in the news in the past few years, that show that new research indicates that one's mental state affects how quickly healing occurs. I'm sure you've read them - older people with a pet at home recover faster from stroke. People who laugh often are less likely to have heart attacks. People who get hugged every day heal faster from certain illnesses.

Well, the idea is that the mind is a very powerful thing - that our bodies are affected by our state of mind.

This booklet gives these actual techniques you can use with someone who has been hurt, to help them with the mental and emotional affects of the illness or injury.

I'm telling you, these work!

These methods are called assists. My favorite assist is called a Locational. The technique is detailed in the book - exactly how to give someone a locational. I use this one on my children pretty often.

You know how kids sometimes will get upset about something, and stay upset for a while? For instance, a toddler runs across the room and falls down. Then proceeds to cry - for too long. You know he isn't really hurt, he's just upset. What do you do to help him get over it?

Well, I would give my toddler a locational - and by the end of the locational (usually less than a minute, in this kind of situation), he is laughing and happy!

My kids don't get sick very often, but when they do, we give them assists. They've learned to give them, too, and will give them to one another. They heal very quickly. When my youngest had RSV, a potentially deadly illness in a child his age, we gave him an assist in the hospital.

He was really sick - we took him to the emergency room when he developed a sudden fever and was having obvious respiratory problems. They transferred us to a larger hospital less than 2 hours later, as he wasn't responding to medication (his fever kept climbing - was at 104, and despite treatment he was having more difficulty breathing). It looked very scary, since nothing was helping him.

As soon as we arrived and got him settled into the emergency room at the second hospital, I gave him an assist outlined in this book. 20 minutes later his fever was suddenly GONE and his breathing was totally normal. The doctors were very surprised. They had him stay under observation for 4 more hours, then released him. His fever and other symptoms never returned.

The techniques in this book do not heal the person - but they help his state of mind so he CAN heal. So he CAN respond to treatment. So he isn't so distressed, and the power of his own mind can aid him, rather than hurt him in his healing process.

This is a vital book for anyone, but especially parents, because kids tend to live such rough-and-tumble lives. (At least my boys do!)

I just happened upon this book when I was shopping for manga and thought it looked like a good read. Well, it's a great read! Finally a book in English about Tezuka!

Schodt does an amazing job breaking down Mighty Atom/Astro Boy along with Tezuka. He actually knew Tezuka so he brings a great insight to this work. The images in the book are great as well, especially the color inserts at the beginning of the book. Included are a great index of all the manga and anime episodes, and a character guide with both Japanese and English character names.

If you are a fan of anime, manga, or both, you will want to read this book to know why the two art forms are so popular today, not only in Japan, but all across the world!

I don't think the onslaught of Japanese pop culture would not take fruition if not for the talented work of Osamu Tezuka. He influenced his country men for many generations and his manga books are still published today and are fresh as they were printed over 60 years. The man has left a mark on more artists/animators than Walt Disney ever did. Frederik L. Schodt delves into the framework of this genius who set the blueprint to all manga and anime that we are used to. If not for Osamu Tezuka, I think Japanese manga and anime would be dormant, as with the Beatles a slew of bands followed them, but there was only one Beatles and they will always be standing tall in their heap in the part pop culture as will Osamu Tezuka will be for the Japanese culture, his name is under every breath of new creation that comes from that part of the world and has crossed oceans with his universal ideas and will leave a giant imprint for many more years yet to come. Astro Boy Collection Box Set

You will not believe me when I try to tell you about Osamu Tezuka. He drew over 150,000 pages of manga in his lifetime, more than 700 separate series, and more than 70 anime, films and movies. He was a pioneer every genre, from hard sci-fi to mahou shoujo to adult films. He developed the drawing and animation techniques that still dominate the industry today. Today's greats, from Rintaro to Yoshiyuki Tomino, worked and studied with him. He was a political activist, writing against war, racism, environmental exploitation, medical corruption. He was a national hero of Japan, and under consideration for the Nobel Prize in literature when he passed away in 1989. Astro Boy, Black Jack, Kimba the White Lion, Metropolis, Phoenix, Buddha and Princess Knight are only the best known of literally hundreds of creations which have impacted every corner of the manga world. If you think this sounds like too much for one man to plausibly accomplish in a lifetime, you're far from the only one who finds Osamu Tezuka a little superhuman.

Fred Schodt, author of Dreamland Japan Manga! Manga!: the World of Japanese Comics and translator of Phoenix, Astro Boy and more, was a personal friend of the "God of Comics" and his translator when Tezuka visited America. In his long-awaited Astro Boy Essays, Schodt gives a concise and detailed introduction to the life, influence and significance of Tezuka in the history of Japan and the international comics world. Focusing on Tezuka's best known work, the anti-racist children's classic Astro Boy, it gives efficient, approachable portraits of Osamu Tezuka's life and personality, the atmosphere in Japan during and after WWII and their effect on the manga industry, the nightmarish behind-the-scenes production schedule that birthed Japan's first animated TV series, and the spread of Astro Boy as a Japanese, and later an international symbol of peace, technology, hope for the future, and above all of Japan itself. The rocky history of Astro Boy's American distribution gives a fascinating look at the beginnings of American anime fandom, and how many barriers had to be broken to achieve the comparatively-smooth licensing and distribution system in place today. All the material is presented in a format beginners can understand, but with enough details that even experts will find themselves learning more with every page. The Astro Boy Essays is an invaluable contribution to manga scholarship, and provides a window for American otaku to finally learn about the "God" who made anime what it is today.

For more information about the book, see:
www.stonebridge.com/AstroBoy/AstroBoy.html

For more information about Osamu Tezuka, his life and works, see:
TezukaInEnglish.com

This book does a great job of telling the story without the profanity. Good reading for all ages who want to know the soldier's story. A great book for Vets too. the story of a combat Medic.

This story follows the life of a young american boy from childhood, through being drafted, sent to vietnam, the 1970 Cambodia invasion, and the after shock of it all. It is written primarily to give the younger generation a first-hand report of the experience, and is suitable reference material for history classes in the middle school years.

As a Donut Dollie with the American Red Cross in Viet Nam in 1970 - 71, I found this book to be a great representation of a Viet Nam vet. It is factual, easy to read and entertaining. The book evokes emotions and helps the reader feel the life of the vet. I am currently a teacher and plan to use this book when I teach about the war.

This was the first time that I have read Basho's Narrow Road to Oku, snd I enjoyed it a great deal. Actually I read it twice this week. The first time I read through it I tried to read it without using the notes. I was lazy, so it came out that I really didn't enjoy what I was reading because I really didn't know what was going on throughout most of the book, so I read it again using the notes, and I got much more out of it. The annotations are on the left page while the actual text is on the right page, so there is no flipping to the back of the book every time that you need to look up something. There are endnotes that give more information about the haiku Basho writes. This is a very cool book, that gives the reader a glimpse at the literary world of japan back during the 17th century.

This is a very well translated and annotated edition of this great work.

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (9/06)

Matsuo Basho (1644-94) was a famous Japanese haiku poet. In 1689, he took a 1,233 mile journey across Japan. His travels lasted five months. He was joined by his friend Kawai Sora. Basho wrote about this trip. He titled it, "Oku No Hosomichi," which translates to "Narrow Road to the Interior." This story is considered to be a masterpiece of Japanese literature. He took four years to write it and revise it.

Basho started this trip when his house burned down. He had two goals. One goal was spiritual; it involved "poetic truth." The other goal was a practical one in which he would use his travels to become well known as a poet. Sora developed stomach problems and had to end his travels with Basho. Basho wrote a short piece for him. In the second part of this book, there is a translation of "A Farewell Gift to Sora."

Basho funded his travels with donations from wealthy friends and students. He felt that there were three types of poets. The first type is confused noisemakers. The second type is wealthy people who desire to write instead of gossip. The third type is poets who work hard at writing true poetry. These poets write to "soothe their heart." Basho was the third type of poet.

Hiroaki Sato includes annotations to go along with the writings. This adds richness to the story and helps explain more about the culture and what was happening at the time. I read the story first with the annotations to gain understanding of what I was reading; then I went back and reread the story by itself so that I could feel how it flowed. Without the annotations, I would have enjoyed Basho's story, but I would not have understood much of what was written. Sato also includes pages of notes and commentaries. This is a well researched piece. "Basho's Narrow Road" is a beautiful story about Basho's travels. In it he reflects on the beauty of the countryside and the spirit of the people that he encounters.

I recommend "Basho's Narrow Road" to people that enjoy Japanese poetry, especially Haiku. It would also be a great book to use for a college literature class. I really enjoyed Basho's journey.

As an Intermediate player, I still find this book useful. As a beginner, you would find it INVALUABLE. Penick uses a combination of simple description and illustrations to make bridge accessible to everyone.

The descriptions are compelling and understandable, and the illustrations make it memorable. I heartily recommend this book for anyone wanting a solid grounding in bridge fundamentals. It comes with quizzes to reinforce your learning.

This is the book I hand out to anyone that wants to learn bridge from scratch. Very easy to understand, beautifully illustrated with cartoons, it is also very accurate: I still use this as a reference for looking up basic Standard American bidding. It deals very well with ALL aspects of basic Standard American, including overcalls, take-out doubles, etc. There are a few chapters that deal with the basics of play and defense. This book is more than sufficient for all aspects of beginning bidding. For play and defense, I recommend people start here, and then go to "Introduction to Declarer's Play" and "Introduction to Defender's Play" by Edwin Kantar.

Easy to understand instruction for someone learning to play Bridge. Using this book I was able to begin playing Bridge in just a few weeks. This game cannot be mastered in just a few weeks, but you will have the basics necessary to begin.

The Best Of The Best And More is a splendid compilation of recipes drawn from more than twenty-three years of culinary publishing and experience. There are recipes for muffing, breds and burnches; beverages; appetizers; salads and dressings; soups; pizza, pockets and wraps; pasta; veggies; fish, seafood and chicken; lamb, pork and beef; cookies, squares, and candies; and all manner of desserts. From Baguette Sticks; Buffalo Chicken Wings; and Barber's Best Chili; to Greek Ribs; Pavlova (New Zealand's national dessert); and Pumpkin Cheesecake, The Best Of The Best And More is an ideal addition to any kitchen cookbook collection. Beautifully illustrated with full-color photography.

"Best of Bridge" cookbooks have been a staple in my kitchen for over 20 years. I have all seven of their books and never once has a recipe failed to work or delight my family. With these books you can plan a dinner party without trying out the recipes ahead of time, they all work and they're all great. "The Best of the Best and More" is what all the Best of Bridge fans have been waiting for. Now we can have their most requested recipes in one book -- plus they've included a whole batch of new recipes. This is a great book for a new bride or anyone just starting on this super cookbook series.

"Best of Bridge" cookbooks have been a staple in my kitchen for over 20 years. I have all seven of their books and never once has a recipe failed to work or delight my family. With these books you can plan a dinner party without trying out the recipes ahead of time, they all work and they're all great. "The Best of the Best and More" is what all the Best of Bridge fans have been waiting for. Now we can have their most requested recipes in one book -- plus they've included a whole batch of new recipes. This is a great book for a new bride or anyone just starting on this super cookbook series.

The book gave me a better scope at what a Bone Gnawer really is, and the character of Carlita is really enjoyable. Not all the werewolves have to be so blue blooded and perfect to be honorable. Carlita proves that while she's an easy-going type of character, fan of the Mc Donalds hamburguer she can also be a noble beast.

It was really a very good book to read.

The Star Gazers was like walking out and lying to get a rest of the pace of the book, with the background of Antonine Teardroop and his peaceful way of thinking calming the nerves of the readers before things get started up again.

A really good read! ;)

This is easily the best white wolf book I've read. Tribe novel: Bone Gnawers is about the young werewolf Carlita, and her new pack's assignment to defeat an evil wyrm creature. It has great imagery, humor, and dialogue, and it tells of the beginning of one of the most important packs in the werewolf series. Tribe novel: Stargazers is about Antonine Teardrop and his discoveries through the umbra. This novel has great description, and it starts off talking about kailindo, the martial art of the garou (though it's kung-fu termonology is inaccurate). This one has more about Carlita and her pack as they help Antonine. This novel proves that the stargazers are the best tribe! :)

The characters and plotline in the story really pull together beautifully. The Bone Gnawers half of the book is particularly hilarious, and Stargazers helps pull the myriad characters from the past volumes together as the prophesied characters struggle against the Wyrm and other foes. Definitely my favorite book, I think, as volumes 1, 2, and 3 just get you ready for the setting. The books overall are so intense they'll keep you up all night reading to see what happens next. The books are also very well written, considering that each little tribe mini-novel is written by a different author and the characters stay consistent personality wise.

This is one of the most incredible books I've ever read - I absolutely could not put it down. You will need a box of tissues to hand - but it is very inspiring! I'm telling everyone I know about it and planning a fundraiser for the street children in Vietnam.

I feel like a big nerd for saying it, but this is probably the most influential book that I've ever read. I can't think of any other thing I've read that has moved me more and made me want to do something to try and change the world. First off, let me say that at times reading this book made me cringe from how cheesy it can get. There is a lot of goofy emotion and things of that nature. I guess you could say that this is a book Oprah might endorse. Push all that aside and it's really unbelievable what has happened to this woman in her life and what she has done with her life.
The story starts off with Christina Noble going to Vietnam with no idea of what she is doing or where to start except that she wants to somehow help the street children of Ho Chi Min City. The second part tells about her own life growing up in Dublin, Ireland and how she herself became a street child and on into her adult life. The third part goes back to Vietnam and shows what she did to help the street children there. Both stories of what she did in Vietnam and her life growing up are incredible. Sometimes I seriously couldn't believe that this woman had went through all of this. If you are lacking the motivation to change the world then I would start here for a little humanitarian kick in the head.
Cheesiness aside this is one extremely inspiring read. There I said it.

Christina (Tina) Noble writes of her incredible journey from street kid in Ireland to building and running an orphanage in Vietnam. Her warmth and humour plus her gutsy strength learnt on the toughest streets makes reading Bridge Across my sorrows a heartlifting read. It made me realise it only takes one person to change the world for the better and even a street kid has the power to change so many childrens lives. What is even more amazing was that Tina went to Vietnam due to a powerful dream she had had many years earlier. Through acting on that dream she is now the Mother Theresa of Vietnam. This book will always be on my favourites list.

This books is a fascinating look at a segment of our society that often gets overlooked - the men and women who build our bridges and buildings. Too often, the politicians and the Trumps get all the credit, so "The Bridge Builders" is refreshing in its approach. It brings the workers and crews to life, giving them a nobility that they deserve. It's a quick read, and I wish it was a touch longer, but overall, it's a brilliant mix of writing and photography.

This book was very informative on the construction of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. bridge. The pictures were wonderful. This will be a keepsake for many years to come and to show our children how we saw the brigde being constructed.

I truly enjoyed reading the story behind this gorgeous new bridge in Charleston. The colorful and breath-taking pictures were a true complement to the book; what a nice way to record a landmark that will define Charleston and be there for years to come.

This book lists all the conventions authorized by the ACBL, describing the intent of the convention, its operation under a variety of circumstances, the pros and cons of using it, and even a few words about the defence to many conventions.

It is not intended for the non-serious bridge player. It is intended for partners who have already settled on their basic bidding system, but who wish to review the conventions they use, and decide whether any changes would improve their game.

The book is exhaustive rather then brilliant, but if you want a tool to enhance partnership discussion of your bidding methods, this book is hard to beat.

Kearse's convention compilation is a cornerstone for the serious bridge library. For bidding theorists and advanced partnerships, no substitute for this work exists (and attempting one would be a foolish waste of time). Only the inclusion of a bibliography with appropriate references to same in the body text could substantially improve this fine reference work.

Where most "convention encyclopaedia" books fail to provide enough detail to be practical, this book delivers!

You will not learn to bid from this book. But once you have read a basic bridge book... (***a real book...not "Bridge and Whist in one weekend" or "Lets' play bridge in fifteen seconds" [titles made-up]***) ...this book will serve as an invaluable reference. This book is to Bridge what "Modern Chess Openings" is to Chess.

I have never read a more complete collection of bidding and signalling conventions in any other text. Not only are the mechanics of the conventions discussed, but the rationale behind their use is adequately presented without sacrificing brevity.