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Wow, I loved this book! For weeks I had been searching for a good mystery book and when I saw the reviews for this one I didn't waste any time ordering it. This story starts off with Harold Waterson, a wealthy businessman being murdered at the beginning of the story. The question is who shot him..why and why did he get murdered in the basement of people who claimed not to know him?

Barbara Fleming will have you guessing and assuming to the very last chapter. Once I got down to 100 pages left I stayed up all night trying to solve this murder case.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

You won't be disappointed!

Barbara Fleming's Murder On The Gold Coast: A Matthew Alexander Mystery is a murder mystery which offers delightful dialog, well-developed characters, a finely designed plot, and intimate insight into the process of a police department's murder investigation.

While the homicide detective's viewpoint is the primary viewpoint, what I found fascinating was how Barbara Fleming gives us a "look-see" into the work and involvement of a forensic specialist, district attorney, and police chief, among others, as Detective Lieutenant Matthew Alexander investigates wealthy Harold Waterson's murder in Washington D.C..

If you love murder mysteries, you'll thoroughly enjoy the experience of reading Barbara Fleming's Murder On The Gold Coast: A Matthew Alexander Mystery.

I enjoyed it and I am sure you will too.

Detective Mathew Arnold investigates a murder in the home of his former girl friend, whose father persuaded his daughter to break off the relationship. The victim and several suspects are members of the upper crust of black society in Washington, D.C. Detective Arnold faces not only the stress of a personal relationship with a key suspect, but also intense political and social pressures in a high profile case that his superiors are anxious to close with a quick arrest. His character, perserverance and investigative instincts and skill prevent a gross injustice, and leave the reader with the challenge of figuring out who did it. As a dectective story, this is a thrilling piece of work with a convincing assortment of possible culprits that make the book difficult to put down. As a literary work, the author creates some fascinating characters and provides some interesting insights into the social milieux of the characters.
Fred J. Milligan, Westerville, Ohio

Murder on the Gold Coast keeps you wondering "who done it". Barbara Fleming's well written Matthew Alexander Mystery was a very good read.

Murder on the Gold Coast brims with surprises and revelations. Barbara Fleming's intelligent writing sheds wisdom and insight into the human condition. With her uncanny eye for detail and a well-tuned ear for dialogue, even Washington, DC is a character full of energy and personality. Fleming's writing is by turns lyrically poetic and as staccato as a crime report. Matthew Alexander deserves a long career investigating the District's crimes. And Barbara Fleming is building a solid body of work from the capers of this cunning detective.

Murder on the Gold Coast is the newest installment of Fleming's Matthew Alexander Mystery Series. Someone has killed wealthy black real estate developer, Harold William Waterson, Sr., and, surprisingly, his Washington, DC social sphere encompasses a circle of people with motives. His elegant white wife is miserable. His son detests him. The black, beautiful Angela Bowman wants to end their affair. When Waterson winds up dead in the posh basement of Angela's parents, the three Bowman's maintain their innocence. While there is no hard evidence to implicate them, there is the matter of the murder weapon; that key piece of evidence - a 38-caliber revolver that emptied two slugs into Waterson's chest - is missing.

Matthew Alexander steps in to unravel this mystery, wrestling against the odds, frustration, and time. Matt's personal history with Angela enhances the intrigue; they might have married had her father found him worthy. In his current marriage to sultry Carla, his life balances romantic negotiation, administrative head-games, and brutally long hours. His witnesses balk, and his leads sometimes disintegrate, but his instincts seldom betray him. This sharp, handsome detective is cocky for a reason. He's good at his job.

Murder on the Gold Coast by Barbara Fleming
Reviewed by Chiquita Mullins Lee

First, Kropotkin discusses mutual aid among animals. His first point is that Darwin had nothing to do with Social Darwinianism. In fact, he quotes Darwin as saying, "Those communities which included the greatest number of the sympathetic members would flourish best, and rear the greatest number of offspring."

He gives numerous examples. One of his examples is about the crested screamer, a bird species which holds massive song recitals. Would Lorenz agree that those birds are chirping merrily? Or would he insist that they are marking their territory?

Next, he discusses mutual aid among savages. Note that he uses a word which is scientifically unacceptable today.

Since K. cannot travel back in time, he surmises how our earliest ancestors lived by observing how isolated tribes today live--which is in clans. Although such tribes are still called "primitive," there is some question of whether or not these tribes live like our prehistoric ancestors did.

Since isolated tribes tend to live in clans, Kropotkin claims that the marital bond is not as strong as in the nuclear family system. In the appendix, he debates Westermarck on this matter.

Next, he discusses mutual aid among barbarians--another taboo word. According to K., there was a wave of migrations in ancient Europe, in which "races were mixing with races." The social institutions seemed to be wrecked as a result, but K. assures us that they instead "underwent the modification which was required by the new conditions of life."

Next, he discusses mutual aid in the medieval city. Now we are up to the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries. Our next institution, then, is the professional guild.

Finally, he discusses mutual aid among ourselves. He sees a faint vestige of mutual aid today. K. sees the union as the successor of the clan, the village, and the guild, so he calls for more and better unions. K. also speaks highly of organizations with special interests, such as garden clubs and glee clubs.

However, K. cautions us against the "reckless individualism," or "the war of each against all," which he sees as prevailing today.

Kropotkin's discussion, persuasive as it is, can be counterbalanced with arguments in favor of individualism and competition. I wonder how Kropotkin would respond to the famous anecdote about the Jamestown colonists.

One can also question Kropotkin's claim that only the most sociable animal species prosper. The feline order is renowned for the aloofness of its members, and the lion has been dubbed "the king of the beasts."

I would like to close this report with an ad hominem attack against Kropotkin himself: If individualism is so reprehensible, what is he doing writing a book by himself and claiming credit for it by himself?

Anarchist classic, rooted in observation of natural phenomena and history. Challenges the conception that capitalism is a natural progression of Darwinism at work in the wild. The author cites numerous examples of compassion and innate goodness at work outside the bounds of a structured power-based society. The study covers cooperation among animals, instances of non-hierachical interactions from primitive tribes to mediaeval cities, and on to his contemporary labor unions. It has been some years since I read it and I plan to revisit this title soon.

This book, which appears to be about the only surviving scientific text from Kropotkin's work, is very interesting and insightful. The first two chapters which deal with animals I found most interesting, because they address the roots of the falsehood of social-darwinism. Kropotkin then proceeds to move through the different stages of human society and describes the mutual aid a compassion fetures therein. It is a fantastic book and I highly recommend it. It is a scientific text, but it has major political implications and is very accessible.

Este libro es uno de los pilares fundamentales de la teoria del anarco comunismo tan desvirtuada por el imperialismo, y nos da la esencia que el anarquismo, lejos de lo que se cree comunmente es una doctrina que se basa en el amor y la ayuda mutua, quitando las barreras de desigualdad entre las personas y haciendo un recuento de cómo la ayuda mutua es un factor de evolución hcia una sociedad más justa.

Peter Kropotkin is one of the most noteworthy anarchist thinkers over the last two centuries. As with other political thinkers, so, too, with Kropotkin--his analy¬sis of human nature is critical for understanding his overall philosophical position. For his view of human nature, "Mutual Aid" is a key for understanding his views. His work is a harbinger of more recent studies of sociobiology, many of which explore the roots of altruism--human and otherwise.

Much of his thinking on the nature of society was formed when he was observing the behavior of animals in Siberia. While assigned to a Siberian regiment of the Russian military, Kropotkin did innovative original work on geography and geology as well as the study of animal behavior. His observation of animals led him to respond to Huxley's assertion that natural selection was based on keen com¬petition among animals with the following statement: ". . .wherever I saw animal life in abundance, as, for instance, on the lakes where scores of species and millions of individuals came together to rear their progeny; in the colonies of rodents; in the migration of birds which took place at that time on a truly American scale along the Usuri; and especially in a migration of fallow-deer which I witnessed on the Amur, and during which scores of thousands of these animals came together from an immense territory, flying before the coming snow, in order to cross the Amur where it is narrowest--in all these scenes of animal life which passed before my eyes, I saw Mutual Aid and Mutual Support carried on to an extent which made me suspect in it a feature of the greatest importance for the maintenance of life, the preservation of each species, and its further evolution."

He synthesized his observations of animals within a species cooperating with one another and concluded that, in the struggle for life, cooperation was at least as important as competition. Kropotkin did not argue that competition was unimportant in the natural selection process. However, he did emphasize that mutual aid was a factor that many Darwinists (although, as Kropotkin made clear, not Darwin himself) ignored. The data that Kropotkin utilized came from many different animal species.

Kropotkin goes on to speculate about the survival value of cooperative behavior. He states that: "Life in societies enables the feeblest insects, the feeblest birds, and the feeblest mammals to resist, or to protect themselves from, the most terrible birds and beasts of prey; it permits longevity; in enables the species to rear its progeny with the least waste of energy and to maintain its progeny with the least waste of energy and to maintain its numbers albeit a very slow birth rate; it enables the gregarious animals to migrate in search of new abodes. Furthermore, cooperation facilitates the development of intelligence, since that quality is so important for social life among animals."

Kropotkin is not content to rest his case at this point. He subsequently indicates the likely course of human evolution and the role played by cooperation. He adopts the method of using existing societies at differing levels of socio-cultural complexity to speculate about the course of human socio-cultural evolution. Kropotkin argues that, at each stage, mutual aid is apparent and important for humans. Even in the period dominated by the great states, the present for Kropotkin, mutual aid institutions still flourished despite the state's intimidating presence.

Thus, Kropotkin's view of human nature is, ultimately, that it is inherently good, i.e. cooperative toward his or her fellow. What of this assertion? Is Kropotkin's view of human nature completely inaccurate and confounded by the available evidence? That is where each reader must evaluate his or her view of humanity's nature and render a judgment on "the anarchist prince."

This book by Muhammad Hisham Kabbani give so much background on the tariqat and deep dive into the lives of saints of Naqshabandi sufi way. Book motivated and affected me deeply and my way of looking life changed and I have much peace than what I had before. My Allah sanctify the secrets of Mawlana Sheikh Hisham Kabanni.

Secrets Upon Secrets: Sh. Nazim description of one of many unveilings "He prayed the Dawn Prayer and I prayed behind him. Outside I could hear the bombardment of the two armies. He gave me initiation in the Naqshbandi Order and he said to me, 'O my son, we have power that in one second we can make our murid reach his station.

As soon as he said that he looked into my heart with his eyes, and as he did so they turned from yellow to red, then to white, then to green and black. The color of his eyes changed as he poured into my heart the knowledge associated with each color.

What are the Nine points , What are the Colors, Who are the Saints in Charge of Those Points, Meditations Practices etc..all inside this masterpiece
For More Secrets you have to buy the book !

This book by Shaykh Hisham is a wonderfully produced and poetic work, beautifully presented, about the Most High Naqshbandiyya Order of Sufis. It gives detailed biographies--not available elsewhere in English--of some of the greatest Muslim saints who were part of this chain. Also, as the Naqshbandiyya Order is uniform up to Hazrat Muhammad Mas'um (May Allah sanctify his secret!) in the names of its Masters, only then splitting up into different sub-orders, this is a good history book also of the Naqshbandiyya in general and of the Naqshbandiyya-Khalidiyya in particular. Beautiful!!

This book by Shaykh Hisham is a wonderfully produced and poetic work, beautifully presented, about the Most High Naqshbandiyya Order of Sufis. It gives detailed biographies--not available elsewhere in English--of some of the greatest Muslim saints who were part of this chain. Also, as the Naqshbandiyya Order is uniform up to Hazrat Muhammad Mas'um (May Allah sanctify his secret!) in the names of its Masters, only then splitting up into different sub-orders, this is a good history book also of the Naqshbandiyya in general and of the Naqshbandiyya-Khalidiyya in particular. Great!

This is a miracle. Words cannot express the praise of this book. It needs a soft and pure heart to be appreciated in its full strength. The honorable Shaikh Hisham Kabbani has done the impossible. He captured the divine realizations of the pure hearts in words of ink. Therefore the heart of reader shall smell the divine fragrance of the pure hearts an will be illuminated and decorated with heavenly buties

I have bought several books, tapes and DVDs on Qigong. This book seems to have combined a lot of the movements from the other media. Unlike the other media I own which cover only a few movements (18 the most), this book covers 36 movements, which for me great. I am always skeptical in learning movements coming from a book since I find it difficult to follow the written instructions without seeing the actual video demo, but I was suprised this book is easy to follow. I do have previous know how on some of the movements, so maybe that helped. And the exercises are grouped in 6 sections, making it easy for me to remember them. A great Qigong book!

This is a wonderful book easy to use and incorporate its exercises and principles. The diagrams of exercises are easy to follow. The book contains extremely useful information about qigong and other aspects of
Chinese medicine.It is well-written and highly recommended!

I just started practicing Lian Gong in 18 Forms about a month ago to finally get rid of all the tension, back pain, tightness, and inflexibility that western exercise such as weight lifting, aerobics, and rowing machines has caused me! I am completely amazed that in only one month I can feel it all fading away! I purchased every video available on Liangong, including the $100.00 set from the actual inventor himself! The videos are all great, the books are all good, except for one MAJOR flaw!! None of them offer breathing instructions!! The most any book or video will tell you is that you breath in when expanding and stretching, and out when relaxing. Except in certain cases, there are exceptions, which they never explain. Well, this book tells it all! If you purchase any of the videos, you MUST, I repeat MUST buy this book! Not only is it well written, but it gives you all the secrets! Buy it NOW!

One of the strengths of Lian Gong Shr Ba Fa is that it is the sort of exercise system that actually can be learned from the printed page if you are reasonably well coordinated and are good at learning from books. Even without a teacher, you can get major benefits from practice on your own.

This book is a clear, well done presentation of the exercises. Anyone interested in learning the system would get a good start from this book. I would only recommend Wen Mei Yu's version over this one because a) WMY's book explicitly announces that it is a Lian Gong with its title on the cover, and B) the layouts, photographs and book design are somewhat more effective and pleasing to my eye, and c) the accompnaying instructional text is a bit clearer and more helpful to the beginner.

But if you want to get started, and you see this book on the stands, don't hesitate to get it and get started.

This book is a wonderful introduction to not only the Qi Gong excersize but also Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It will give you an easy to understand overview of TCM concepts so you can understand how practicing the excersizes described in the book can improve and maintain your health for years to come.

The descriptions of the movements and multiple photos for the different movements make it easy to learn and practice. Of course the best way is to join a group of people who are practicing (http://www.taichihealing.com) and practice the movements along with the group. In any case, this book is an excellent resource for people who are interested in improving and maintaining their well being and good health.

Be well!

It's so useful, especialy with me, a young I/O psychologist in Vietnam. Thank so much.

I get the feeling that some of the comments by readers suggest that managers cannot understand academic books. We can, if we buckle down and read them. Sure, the quick one-liners of a Covey or a Blanchard are cool and easy to understand. After a while, though, those books become a bit empty. Too much of "how too" and not enough of "why".

I kind of liked the challenge of reading a book that is written by researchers. All of the chapters (14 in total) were quite easy to follow except for the second chapter (about definitions of leadership), which I skipped, and also the last part of the third chapter (on using science to study leadership). The other chapters were very applied. I liked the chapters on traits, information processing, contingency models, transformational and visionary leadership, culture, and ethics. The Bennis chapter is pretty good too.

The Nature of Leadership is a book everybody claiming to speak about Leadership has to read. This book does not provide any easy method to be used to become a leader; instead, it demonstrates with scientific evidences what are the attributions of a leader. It will help any students interested by this field of research better understand what this matter is about.

Some of the reviewers below are bit too excited about this book. Okay, it is a good book but a bit heavy (I got a hard cover)! For the almost 500 pages you do get good bang for your buck ($50/500=$0.10 per page). What I liked about the book is the way it's laid out. It's pretty well organized and covers leadership from many angles. That's an advantage of this book. It doesn't have one message but many messages. The authors of the chapters know what they are talking about. The editors are psychologists/leadership specialists and have good credetials from Yale University. The downside (for some an advantage) is that it looks more at leadership models and says a lot about the state-of-the-art regarding leadership research but not about practice (well the book is not about that and the authors don't claim to do that).

This book will help you if you want to know what leadership model to invest your money in. It's a bit like a consumer car guide. Tells you what's good and what's not so good. If you have this book then you know how to spend your money wisely on other leadership books.

The reviewer that refers to this book as being "painful" is partly right. This book is difficult to read, that's for sure. However, leadership, as a topic is not simple. There are no quick fixes. To learn about leadership you will have to read a lot, particularly what the researchers have written. The topic is not simple and certainly cannot be summarized in simple graphs or charts. You'll need some level of intelligence to understand "The nature of leadership"

Managers or students, who have some basic education will be able to understand this book. If you are looking for quick stories, this book is not for you. Reading "Who moved my cheese?" or "Good to great" will be a better fit for you--these types of books are certainly easier; however, these kinds of books are very simplistic and not well researched (even though they pretend to be).

If you want to get fit, there is not simple way to do it. You have to watch what you eat, you have to exercise, you need persistence, and you need to work hard. If you are the type of person that believes in working hard then this book is for you. You are the type that likes to take the straight and narrow way. You believe in "No pain, no gain."

This is one of the best drum books for drum set available today, hands down. It basically has a list of patters to be played over ostanado patterns (that is, ones that do not change). It starts simple, with quarter notes, and by the end of the book, its highly syncopated 16ths and whatnot. Very challenging, but it' the type of book that will really, really help anyone develop their creative mind with the kit. Most importantly, this is NOT one of those 'play through and then throw into the closet' kind of books. NO!! This book can be used for entire careers endlessly. It's like Stick Control. It's a bible of a book, it's to be interpreted not just read and played! This book will separate the men from the boys!! Buy it now!!

I'd recommend this book for any intermediate to advanced drummers. It's too involved for beginners. It does get a little to academic at times, but those areas still build skill even if you'll never use the pattern. The ideas in this book are also good for exercises that are not mentioned. Really, Chester has only scratched the surface of what is possible with his concepts. With a little imagination, one could work out of this book for years.

This book does indeed assist drummers to building their own creativity. Take heed, this book can be difficult and one will need patience, persistence, and passion in order to get through it. The use of "Book with CD" can be misinterpretted as a CD with sampled grooves; the CD is an interview with Gary Chester, the author of the book. It is a raw cut, so the volumes aren't equalized.

If you're serious about drums, or seriously need to grow as a drummer, this book is for you.

gary's approach to the drums uses exercises which are both musically and technically challenging. begin by singing the click track while playing the first system...right from the start you'll realize how much room there is for improvement. if practiced carefully with a click while singing all of the parts, the improvement in your playing will be tremendous. i had the good fortune to have experienced this process first hand while studying with Gary back in the 80's. it is a sure way to ramp up your focus and independence. guys like kenny aronoff, danny gottlieb, and dave weckl used this method as a launch pad for their own creativity...

This book is loaded with excercises that will dramatically improve limb independence - it's not easy stuff! Also, it's not really a play-along kind of book where you'll immediately apply the patterns to your playing - so if you're just looking to pick up some cool beats and fills, you should look elsewhere. Now, if you're into buckling down and honing your chops, then this is definitely a book you should consider!

...I read it! Kudos to Kathleen for caring so much about this very special breed. I was especially touched by the book's inscription, dedicated to certain canine friends: "It hurts so much when you leave".

outstanding pictures. Clear explaination of how to raise and train. Recommended reading for everyone interested in Siberians

Found this book to be extremely informative! Straight and to the point from one of the most knowledgable authorities on Siberian Huskies. Thank you Mrs. Kanzler for such a helpful book!

to a Siberian pet owner, this one is it! It covers basic care that all pet owners need to be aware of. I especially appreciate how Mrs. Kanzler conveys on what to expect in the Siberian's temperment. This book should be given to every new Siberian Husky puppy owner, and anyone considering this breed should read it! The price is definitely affordable. The author is a top breeder world-wide, and she certainly knows her subject.

I found this book most interesting and useful.I have read it over and over again and i love the pictures.I do not yet own a husky but will in the future so i bought your wonderful book in advance.I have done alot of research on siberian huskies and found your book to be the most helpful!Thank you!

This is like the handbook version of the Being and Doing book by the same author. Something like a fist-aid kit in case of an "emergency" on stage or during a take. Break glass before storming off the set in disgust.

This is one the of the best approached to acting. It makes everything clear.
Also an easy read.

I'll admit that at first glance Eric Morris's System can seem scary and misaligned. But I believe it to be a very misunderstood system.

I too was skeptical in the beginning, but after studying this technique (with Eric, but mostly with Anthony Vincent Bova in NYC, Eric's protégé), and after seeing the difference from "acting" and what this Work creates, there's no way I'd ever go back to the "acting" form.

Eric Morris teaches the actor how to react honestly and in the moment, including everything that's going on inside and out-the other actor, the props, the imagined objects that one might be working for-that impels you to "do" whatever the character is required to "do", but out of a real reaction, not just because you're doing it.

I've studied Adler, Strasberg, Meisner, and with Robert Lewis. I've hashed through the process of verbs, actions, objectives, obstacles, and onward; and they're all good and dandy for figuring out what's going on in a script, what the characters are doing and why; but other than that, these techniques never helped me figure out HOW to make it real to ME... How to get to a place where I'm actually functioning from a real, organic, truthful state ... How to get to the point where I am "doing" all the script tells me to do, fulfilling the "actions," out of an honest REACTION to what's going on.... Not just "playing" as if I am; how, in essence, creating the realities of the character....

No matter where you go, all the great teachers (and actors) say the same thing, "Acting is reacting." Even the most used and cherished word in the actor's language, LISTENING, is about focusing outside of yourself and REACTING to what is there. This Work trains the actor to create the stimuli that will fulfill the demands of the piece, specifically, wholly, and with Truth.

For the most part, plays and movies are imagined circumstances, and we as actors, have to create stimuli to react from, so we're not just faking, or indicating our performance. I'd rather watch two people have a relationship on film or on stage, than two actors reciting words, no matter how well they "act" it. If they don't believe it, I won't. This System trains you to create those stimuli and REACT to them honestly, fully and truthfully.

A crucial part of Eric's System is based on Instrumental Work, which is the process of identifying blocks and fears and tensions to expression and, one-by-one, through the use of hundreds of exercises, eliminating them. It's really about self-awareness-learning about yourself and how you function, so you can "get out of your way" and function truthfully on stage or film and get to where you need to get to in a scene. I think this is the aim of every method, but I feel that this System is the only one to address the issues of the actor on a personal level. If I'm tense and depressed (in real life; me the actor), I'm not going to be able to REACT truthfully in a scene where the character has just won the lottery and is jumping with joy. If I push for the emotion, I'll be faking and will "act" that I'm joyful. If this is enough for you, then Eric's work is definitely not your thing. But if you're looking for creating reality and REACTING with truth, nothing surpasses this Work.

I know that Meryl Streep, Brando, Ed Norton, Johnny Depp, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, and a handful of other amazing actors don't fake it, don't just indicate the realities of the character and the circumstances. They create them. Be it imagined stimuli they are creating, or through the available stimulus around them, they open themselves up and REACT truthfully to everything -the other actors, the set, the space, the props, the object or person via Sense Memory, etc. I KNOW they do this for a fact! They've talked about it for years.

Eric helps you get to the place that they do-where you can function truthfully, where your instrument is accessible and available, where you are open and are willing to go where the character needs to go, emotionally, psychologically, and physically.

My advice is read Eric's books. If they pique any interest in you, if they strike a cord, study with Eric or Anthony, or at least contact them for further information about the system. I think you'll be quite surprised and utterly amazed at the tools this Work can provide you as an actor.

I am personally an Eric Morris actor. I live in Los Angeles and I attend his workshop weekly. Having actually experienced his Craft personally and by watching hundreds of others come and go, and succeed and fail: it has become strikingly obvious to me that his Work works. One of the elements of this uniquely personal Craft is that it can be very overwhelming and emotionally draining. Through my two plus years of experience in the Work, I have found that very few Eric Morris actors actually uses the Craft exactly as it is intended. I believe as do many of my contemporaries that the Craft provides the actor with a limitless supply of "acting" tools, which encourage the actor to experience truthfully. It is painfully obvious that "truth" or an organic expression of impulses and emotions is severely lacking in theatre, television and on screen. There is not one person who has come to class and gone on stage who has not gone through a substantial growth. Being a student of acting my entire life, on a constant pursuit of truth in my work, and having over 25 teachers since first grade: I have found the one teacher on the planet who can answer all of the difficult questions actors ask about the mysterious art of acting. If you have a thirst for truth in your acting and in how you live your life, you foolish to remain ignorant of Eric Morris.

I give this book a fairly high rating because all acting technique is personal. An actor's job in receiving training is to simply find the approach that works best for the individual. Method acting simply means to find one's own method. While responses to acting texts, approaches and classes are always subjective, one should always remain open for new ideas.

That said I reject Eric Morris' approach to acting on a personal and professional level.

As every actor knows (or at least should know), his/her job is "to do nothing more than to be believable while telling the best possible story that serves the script" (Bruce Morris). Or as Stanislavski defines acting: "Acting is living truthfully under imaginary circumstances". The root of an actor's technique must always be action. Again with Stanislavski: "while on stage, an actor must always be enacting something". Action verbs are the basis of all acting/storytelling craft. An audience does not pay precious money to watch an actor have an emotional moment, but rather to have the moment themselves.

All the great acting teachers, building upon the work of Stanislavski, have stressed the importance of finding and playing an action as opposed to an emotion. Robert Lewis, Sanford Meisner, Stella Adler, Uta Hagen, Michael Checkov and even Lee Strassberg (although he ventured too far into the emotional realm) all taught students to find the appropriate action and embrace that reality as the basis for their storytelling craft. Emotions are the by product of a person engaging in an action and either failing or succeeding in the quest to fulfill that action.

Eric Morris' approach, centers on "Being" exercises. He asks his students to simply get up in front of a group of people and simply "Be". As related in this book, he proceeds to grill them about their day and call them on the carpet for any false emotion as he dredges for some emotional moment. Morris' approach, at least to this reader, comes off as simply another example of acting teacher "power tripping" as well as pseudo-therapy hidden in the guise of acting. This approach simply leads to the teacher holding such power over his/her students as they become obsessed with pleasing the teacher as opposed to truly pleasing the audience.

This approach leads to emotionally crippling an actor. Actor's become obsessed with evaluating their acting on the basis of whether or not they "felt" the scene. If an actor finds they cannot reach the emotion, they immediately fill themselves with a great sense of guilt and personal disgust at their inability to produce an emotion. Acting should ultimately be a freeing experience as well as a fun and celebratory bit of life. Many acting teachers and actors, bowing under the weight of thousands of years of social stigma feel that they must deny the "fun" factor of acting and make it a painful and serious affair.

As any director or acting teacher can attest, when one simply asks an actor to "be" on stage, one will watch an actor squirm, blink and fold inside him/her self. Put an actor on stage and ask him/her to push a giant stone up a mountain, one will watch a fantastic story filled with all the emotional truth an audience could ever hope to find.

The key to acting is not "being" it is in fact "doing". Apparently Morris has a workbook that combines the two concepts. I will certainly read that as well- again the justification for the high rating. I am still learning my craft and I pray I will always continue to do so.

NO ACTING PLEASE is certainly worth reading and worth trying though so that one can form their own opinion. After trying Morris' approach, this review is simply my opinion. Proceed with caution.

i have not read any of these books but p dogg is my english teacher

I like potry. This book has great rime and meter. I remember when my Uncle Liam from Ireland came over, he brought me a huge bottle of wisky and a case of Mickeys Big Mouth, that Uncle Liam was always three sheets to the wind, I think it runs in the genes, after all, look at me, hck! Uncle Liam and me went to the woodshed with all that good stuff, we had a very pleasant time....

I was absolutely blown away by the caliber of this book. Brian Pinsker has a way with words that is truly brilliant. He can evoke many different portraits within the minds' eye with a simple twist of phrase. Jay Passer also is inspired, although his is a different, more harshly provocative style. I enjoyed this work thoroughly, and consider myself very fortunate to have been able to take a glimpse, through their written word, into both authors' thoughts.

The poetic pair of Pinsker and Passer pen yet another epic opus! Pinsker starts us out with some of the bizarrest metering I've ever read, expounding upon his adherence to the B'ahai Faith through his H. Rap Brown-inspired rhyme scheme. His Seattle street-style adaptation of the Cornish "Mmph -Kaph-Kaph-Hmm-Mmm" is one of the most sullenly beautiful pieces I've ever read. The second half consists of Passer's more conventional, yet equally beautiful Dickinsonian poetry. I hope that Passer brings back Jeremy Surbrook in the future -- he really lends a lot to Passer's poetry. All in all, a fine book.

Brian Pinsker's poetry dazzled and amazed and bemused me. This is a man who speaks and writes the language of the street. He blends and combines elements of H. Rap Brown, Public Enemy, Shakespeare, Rilke, Rumi, and the Pope. Totally cool!

Florence Nightingale greatly influenced modern nursing, to focus on the needs of the patient and establish nursing as a profession requiring assessment skills as well as caring presence. This brief, well-written & clearly understandable book is a must for the personal library of any nurse or nursing student. It is amazing to realize how advanced Nightingale's thinking was in her era; her lessons remain essential today and provide a basis for understanding why we do the things we do. A great read for anyone interested in nursing!

I received the book within a few days of the order and it was in perferct condition.

A book for true Nightingales! I enjoyed this book a great deal, some parts had me laughing out loud. It is an excellent gift book for nurses!

This makes a wonderful gift for a nursing student who is graduating, a nurse who is retiring or one who is being promoted. It is fascinating reading from a historical aspect will be relevant until the end of time.

Nursing is a vocation; not "just a job." Miss Nightingale knew this, and this book reflects this philosophy. Nursing-schools, many years ago, designed the curriculum--and educated the aspiring nurses--with this in mind. Sadly, many present-day nurses (and nursing-schools) have lost this ideal...and the state of affairs in nursing bears this out.

If you're seriously considering nursing--or are a nurse who is "burned out," read this book. It will enlighten and edify you.