Agnew Books

This is a great book if you are having twins. I read it cover to cover & then certain sections a second time. I really love the "Roundtable Talk" where parents of twins discuss a topic. There's nothing like hearing helpful hints & advice from people who have actually have twins. I also found the resource guide in the back of the book very helpful.

This is a great book for an overview of what to expect when you're expecting twins. We've bought other books and this one has been spot on about symptoms and development. It is posative and upbeat and really covers alot of concerns one may have. I bought the La Leche Leagues guide on twins and it mostly covers breast feeding, we bought another book that was too vague, this one is great and gives you an idea of what's to come, questions to ask your care provider and more. In a nutshell, this was a really good book for those expecting twins.

I didn't much care for this book. I found it to be a compilation of all the generic advice found in the non-multiples books. For example, the recommendations on weight gain tell you how much to gain by trimester, while the Barbara Luke book recommends weight gain by week according to starting BMI. I was also frustrated on several occasions to read what I felt were opinionated statement later on in the book about what not to do during an earlier stage (for example, I remember something along the lines of "whatever you do, don't announce your twin pregnancy before week 13" far along in the book, rather than early on- not only is this the author's strong opinion, it also came a bit late if you didn't do as they recommend).

I found this book to be full of very good information for my twin pregnancy. I really enjoyed the roundtable discussions at the end of every chapter.

I am not sure if there is any good book out there to prepare you for twins but if I had to choose one of the 3 books I picked I would choose this one as the best. It had lots of good info that I needed before I had the twins but after the twins came I found that What to Expect the 1st year was the best.

Item as described and received in a timely manner... an excellent buying experience!

This was a great book and excellent presentation of historical accounts from around the world about the creation of man. I'm thankful that I read this book - it's an eye opening account. The information is very creditable in the context it was presented - amazing detail. I will say that I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the idea of a temporal and physical convergence. This book is fuel for spritual growth - although it's not about religion and all about history. It takes a book like this to examine hard to explain evidence about our past.

This book was a fun read that is if you don't care about scholarship. Reading this book is like listing in a Sunday school class where two smart guys speculate about a lot of stuff that sounds cool, but it doesn't go much further than that. Many of their conclusions are improbable, and their so-called factual basis in ancient scripture to support their claims is only their private interpretation of those scriptures. They take a quote from some manuscript and interprets its meaning to support their idea, but the same scripture could be used to support another claim by another smart person too. Nevertheless, if you like reading spiritual/historical speculation this is the book to read.

As this world gets crazyier, this book is starting to make more sense. No matter what your religion is, this book has something for you. It fills in a lot of blanks in mainstream religious books. It is a big book that reads quickly. This info is very controversial but needs to be given a chance.

The hoaxmeister of Arc of a Million Years, Brooks A. Agnew, has the following bio on his web site:

"Brooks A. Agnew, PhD grew up in Pasadena, California around JPL [the Jet Propulsion Laboratory] and Cal Tech. He entered the Air Force in 1973, where he graduated top in his class in electronics engineering. As a physicist, he is the most accomplished pioneers (sic) of ground probing radar technology in the world. This technology is currently utilized in the Mars Express program.

An author of thousands of technical papers, booklets, or video documentaries Dr. Agnew has joined with veteran archaeologist EJ Clark to produce the most comprehensive book ever written on Intelligent Design and the creation of the Earth. Thousands of readers call it the greatest story on the universe. Their self-published non-fiction work became a national best seller in less than 60 days. His philosophy is, "Everything we do will eventually affect the universe. Do it on purpose."

Wow! What a smart guy. Yet when I do an internet search for my dad, who is a real PhD in plant physiology, I get dozens of entries despite the fact that he has been retired for ten years. When I search for Brooks A. Agnew (or variations) I only get the one entry; his book Arc of a Million years. Kind of strange for a guy who invented a cool radar technology and published "thousands" of scientific papers, etc. But the fact that he is lying about his bio should come as no surprise. Why else would someone mention they were raised "near" the Jet Propulsion Laboratory? His credentials are as bogus as his book and his book is only for the gullible.

Written in 1818, "The Heart Of Midlothian" is one of the most famous works of the great Scottish Writer, Sir Walter Scott. It is set largely in Scotland in the time between the Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1745 and revolves around the Edinburgh riots of 1736 that saw the lynching of John Porteous, Captain of the City Guard, and the subsequent retaliation by the English Crown. Intimately connected with this is the story of Effie Deans, condemned to death on the assumption of having had her child killed, despite a total lack of evidence and the efforts of her sister Jeanie to see her freed. Incidentally the "Heart of Midlothian" was the Edinburgh Tollhouse or Jail, which was later pulled down and removed.

It is a longish read at 507 pages, but by no means long compared to many of the bloated works of recent years. It took me a very long time to read, not because of its length but because its style was so dry and tedious and so full of unnecessary detail as to prevent me reading more than a chapter or two at a time, and there are 52 chapters. A random example:
"There was not a window in all the lofty tenements around it, or in the steep and crooked street called the Bow, by which the fatal procession was to descend, that was not absolutely filled with spectators. The uncommon height and antique appearance of these houses, some of which were formerly the property of the Knights Templars, and the Knights of St John, and still exhibit on their fronts and gables the iron cross of these orders, gave additional effect to the scene in itself so striking."
There's nothing wrong with this language, and the excessive detail may be interesting to some, but for me it makes dreary read.

Scott was a lawyer by trade, and he carries his work with him in this novel. Not only does it read as though declaimed by a barrister at the Assizes, but it is full of lawyers, would be lawyers, lawyer's humour and lawyer's Latin. For example:
"He has been a candidate for our remedium miserabile" said Mr Hardie, "commonly called a cessio bonorum. As there are divines who have doubted the eternity of future punishments, so the Scotch lawyers seem to have thought that the crime of poverty might be atoned for by something short of perpetual imprisonment. After a month's confinement, you must know, a prisoner for debt is entitled, on a sufficient statement to our Supreme Court, setting forth the amount of his funds, and the nature of his misfortunes, and surrendering all his effects to his creditors, to claim to be discharged from prison".
"I had heard", I replied, "of such a humane regulation".
"Yes", said Halkit, "and the beauty of it is, as the foreign fellow said, you may get the cessio when the bonorums are all spent. ..."
The characters Halkit and Hardie and all their legal carry-on in the first chapter are entirely unnecessary as is the character Bartoline Saddletree, who's utterances throughout the book are tedious in the extreme, not only to the reader, but also to the other characters who are forced to listen to him. Obviously Scott had not the art of self editing, being entirely unable to cull his own dross, and the book is much the weaker for it.

And now we come to the matter of religion. There is a great deal of religion in this book, and in my opinion at least, a great deal too much. I know that many folk in those days took the cult of Jehovah far more seriously than they do today, but it makes for boring reading. There can surely be few indeed who care a fig about the Cameronian Covenanters and their nit picking issues with the Protestant Church. For example:
"There remained a third stumbling block - the oaths to government exacted from the established clergymen, in which they acknowledge an Erastian king and parliament, and homologate the incorporating union between England and Scotland, through which the latter kingdom had become part and parcel of the former, wherein Prelacy, the sister of Popery, had made fast her throne, and elevated the horns of her mitre. These were the symptoms of defection which had often made David cry out. "My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at the very heart!" ...
These oaths were, therefore, a deep compliance and a dire abomination - a sin and a snare, and a danger and a defection. But this shibboleth was not always exacted."...
There may well have been people like the tiresome David Deans, and modern students of Christian history may be fascinated with the intricacies of Protestant doctrine but for the rest of us it just gets in the way of the story.

Scott may, perhaps, have excuses for the above flaws, but what he can not excuse himself from is the books greatest flaw: the one dimensionality of the main characters. Jeanie the heroine is, to put it baldly, a drip. A courageous, do it herself woman, willing and able to risk her life and honour to save her sister. A steadfast Protestant willing to let her sister be sentenced to death rather than tell a lie before God. A loyal lover, prepared to wait years for her boring boyfriend to get a decent job before marrying him, meanwhile denying the suit of the local Laird. A fine cheesemaker and exemplary housekeeper. Wise confidant, providential saver, loving mother, dedicated Christian and dutiful wife. She never puts a foot out of line, never learns anything and never has any fun in the entire book! What a drip!

Much the same can be same of her eventual husband Reuben Butler. A struggling school teacher and cleric. He has a smaller part but is similarly a paragon of virtue and dull as dishwater!

The characters of people like David Deans and Bartoline Saddletree are "enlivened" by making them tiresome. The Duke of Argyle and the Queen of England are paragons of nobility: generosity, judgement and grace. Too pat and one dimensional Scott!

It is the people of arbitrary morality that have the most rounded characters, such as Jem Ratcliffe, George Staunton, Duncan Knockdunder and Effie Deans herself, yet in the whole book it is only Duncan that has any real zest for life.

Inexcusable Mr Scott, to fill a book full of dull characters. Surely 18th century Scotland can't have been THAT dreary!!!

The other inexcusable flaw in this work is the way it all turns out. Not only is it predictably pat, but it is RELIGIOUSLY pat. Any character that has done wrong comes to a bad end. (With the exception of Ratcliffe). Obvious villains like Meg Murdockson and George Staunton are executed or die in battle. Misled unfortunates like Staunton's heir and Madge Wildfire die in misadventure. Even Effie Deans, guilty of nothing more than sex before marriage, cannot escape the misery of her sins and ends up in a convent. Meanwhile the religious zealots are elevated and live long and rewarding? lives. It's enough to make one want to vomit. Considering Scott came from a legal background and was a deputy sheriff I fail to see why he should exhibit such a narrow minded fundamentalist Christianity. Alas for this book.

OK, enough knocking, is there anything good about this famous novel? Well yes of course, fortunately there is.

Firstly, although dry and boring, it is very well written. Scott was an intelligent, educated man, and although his view of the world is narrow, it is, at least historically accurate and detailed.

Secondly, for those of us who love Scotland it is wonderful to hear the Scottish dialect, that permeates almost every page. For example the worthy Duncan:
"Fat ta deil, Mr Archibald," answered the Captain of Knockdunder, "wad ye hae them ring the bell before I am ready to gang to kirk? I wad gar the bedral eat the bell-rope, if he took ony sic freedom. But if ye want to hear the bell, I will just show mysell on the knowe-head, and it will begin jowing forthwith."
Or the loyal Jeanie:
"But when the hour of trouble comes to the mind or to the body - and seldom may it visit your Leddyship - and when the hour of death comes, that comes to high and low - lang and late may it be yours - O, my Leddy, then it isna what we hae dune for oursells, but what we hae dune for others, that we think on maist pleasantly. And the thoughts that ye hae intervened to spare the puir thing's life will be sweeter in that hour, come when it may, than if a word of your mouth could hang the haill Porteous mob at the tail of ae tow."

Thirdly, although Scott has done his best to obscure them, the events themselves are quite interesting. In better hands this book could have been a ripping yarn.

And that's it folks.

To conclude: I am giving this book 4 stars because it is a classic that has stood the test of time. Scott pioneered the historical novel. His work must be taken in context with its time, it cannot be judged as though it were written last year. Had it been written last year, it would not have been published and I would not be bothering to write this review.

This book is indispensable if one is interested in Scottish literature. It would be a fascinating read if one were interested in old Presbyterian dogma or 18th century Scottish law. If you want a ripping historical page-turner I suggest you look elsewhere.

The flaws exhibited in this novel are very serious, including the fatal crime of boring the reader, but the erudite may find them counterbalanced by Scott's learned prose and punctilious historical detail. In the end however it is the weight of history and this book's place in it that makes this book worthwhile.

Having been asked to spend a few weeks at a remote Naval base in the former “German Democratic Republic”, I had plenty of time on my hands to read Walter Scott’s “Heart of Midlothian” in the Oxford World’s Classics edition (with notes, 580 pages), something that whiled away the time more than satisfactorily, this novel being perhaps the best that Scott ever wrote. In his previous Waverley novel, “Old Mortality”, he had described the unruly, extreme tendencies of Covenanter Calvinism. In this book, he shows us the other side of the strict Biblical piety he had got to know during his own childhood. The novel is based on two true stories, the Porteous riots in Edinburgh, and the heroics of one Helen Walker, a simple Scots lass who walked to London to save her sister from an unjustly imposed death penalty for child murder. Scott’s way of combining these two stories, making the leader of the riot to be the father of the child that had disappeared, is neither historical nor particularly convincing, and the fate of the child is, indeed, a horrible one. But for me, the most interesting aspect of the book was the description of the Christianity practised by Lowland Scots at the beginning of the 18th century. Davie Deans, the father of Scott’s heroine, is something of a Cameronian or strict covenanter, and it is, perhaps, his very strictness which drives his young daughter Effie to the worldly pursuits that he so much abhorrs. But Davie Deans is an honest soul, and despite his wordy arguments with his neighbours, emerges as a very sympathetic figure, who, towards the end of the book, reaches something of a compromise to enable himself and his elder daughter to live in fairly comfortable circumstances; this, surely, is a picture of how Scott sees the development of theological Calvinism, forced to come to terms with the political and social realities of a Scotland dominated by “prelatist” English interests. Jeannie Deans, Scott’s rather romanticized version of Helen Walker, is an equally strict believer, but her faith expresses itself not in words but in actions, and this is what makes her both a charming heroine and a symbol of what, according to Scott, is best in Christianity and Calvinism.

As for the rest of the book, it is the descriptions of the Porteous riots and the storming of the Edinburgh prison, the “Heart of Midlothian”, at the beginning which make the greatest impression, followed perhaps by the trial scenes and then the interviews in London with the Duke of Argyll and with Queen Caroline, wife of George II. The last part of the book, which is due entirely to Scott’s imagination and has no basis in reality, is more disappointing, as though Scott thought he could not publish a novel without at least some scenes in the Highlands, scenes which here do not ring absolutely true.

Reading Scott is never easy, but the World’s Classics edition makes a brave attempt at facilitating the procedure with copious explanatory notes, a historical overview and a glossary which, while not containing every difficult word, is comprehensive enough to help the reader through the intricacies of Scottish legal Latin and Lowland dialect.

The fact that this monster of a novel was a bestseller at its time (1818) possibly tells us that 'progress' has reduced the time that we are willing to spend on reading. So for me. I was looking for the usual half dozen pocket books to take on a trip of a few days. This one was the last Scott that was still in my shelf. For lack of space I relegate books that I have read and that are not top favorites to either box storage in the garage or to 2nd hand book sales at school charities. This one I had not read yet. I will probably never have the stamina for it, unless I am marooned on the proverbial island and it happens to be in my hand luggage.
I did read the introductions and browsed through some chapters. Maybe another time. Possibly never, though I do remember that Scott's mansion Abbotsford near Edinburgh is one of only four writer's houses turned museum that I visited. The other three are Goethe's birth house in Frankfurt, the Joyce museum in Dublin (of which I can't remember for certain right now whether he ever lived there), and Nabokov's childhood appartment in St.Petersburg.
I think my Scott time is over, so if you wait for the next instalment of my Melville excursions, don't worry, I am not sidetracked. Redburn will be next, but I am travelling a lot these days, and I don't take hardcovers on trips.
Why then do I post a review on the 'Heart'? I was impressed by the editor's story of his trouble with identifying the right text for this publication. The writer, Scott, was a highly literate man in a modern society of his time, who even owned the publishing house himself, indirectly. The book was an international bestseller despite its folksiness and the excessive use of 'dialect' English. Finding out 200 years later which text is 'authoritative' can be damned hard.
You see what I am driving at. Text reconstruction is hard and often impossible. How then can a text that was transmitted orally for decades, if not centuries, before it was committed to paper, have an 'authoritative' version that has any plausible relation to its 'author'?
The 'Heart' is in a box in the garage now, in case you wondered.

I've read some long novels in my time, but this one I couldn't bring myself to more than skip through, aside from the first 90 pages, which excitingly detail the porteous riots. Scott might have had an interesting idelogical point to make about religion, but the story he found to tell it through was not worth 580-odd pages. Jeanie Deans story is more like a poor attempt at Jane Austen, who will she marry, how does her marriage go. Scott's interest is clearly in the supporting players, Douce Davie Deans and Dumbiedikes, who are aligned with whatever religious movement Scott didn't like. Honestly, if you don't care much for religious differences, you'll be skipping as I was. Too much character description and not enough character in action; the story doesn't fit the concept, and tells a story in 580 words what probably deserved 220 or less, for economic reasons, to sell the full three volumes (according to the introduction).

Scott is famous for being immensely popular: but unlike Dickens, I'm struggling to see why. I will give him another chance some day. I've got Waverley, Old Mortality and Ivanhoe sitting on my shelf - I haven't given up on him yet.

Heart of Midlothian is best known today in Scotland as the name of a football team from Edinburgh. Many may be aware that the team took its name from a novel, but Scott's story is little read nowadays so few indeed are aware that the novel took its name from a prison. This prison was situated in the centre of Edinburgh in the county of Midlothian, until it was torn down in 1817, and no doubt a certain irony was intended when it became known as The Heart of Midlothian. Scott's novel focuses on the prison firstly in its description of the Porteous riot of 1736 when a mob stormed the prison in order to revenge itself on a prisoner who it seemed was to escape justice. More importantly it is to this prison that Effie Deans is sent for the crime of child murder, because she has kept the fact of her pregnancy secret and cannot produce the child. Effie faces the prospect of execution even though there is no evidence that she has killed her baby. The law considered her secrecy as evidence enough of her guilt. This leads to a terrible dilemma for the novel's heroine Jeannie Deans. If she would merely say that she had been told of her sister's pregnancy, Effie would go free. Jeannie will go to any lengths to free her sister, but she will not lie. In her search for justice Jeannie must walk to London and her extraordinary journey takes her to the very top of 18th century society.

Jeannie Deans is the greatest of Scott's heroines. She is strong both physically and morally. While she may not have the education of some of those she meets, she more than matches their learning with her own common sense. It is the investigation of her character, which makes the novel so interesting. The story is well told and is often exciting with lots of suspense and emotion, but Scott is less concerned with romance in this novel than in some of his others. The story of Jeannie's love for her childhood friend Reuben Butler is important, but told in such a way as to emphasise Jeannie's morals and sense rather than her romantic inclinations. If there is a romantic heroine in the novel, it is Effie, but her wilful, petulant nature together with her involvement with a rake is contrasted unfavourably with the behaviour and character of her sister. Heart of Midlothian is a long novel perhaps too long, as the fourth part is not quite as good as the first three. It is also quite a difficult read with a good deal of difficult legalistic language and a greater than usual amount of Scots dialect. The best edition of the novel is undoubtedly that edited by David Hewitt and Alison Lumsden. The editors have gone back to Scott's manuscript and the first edition of the novel in order to correct numerous errors and restore a number of important readings, which have previously been lost. The result is a stunning example of modern editorial scholarship, which provides the reader with a text, which is easier and more enjoyable to read. This edition moreover has an extensive set of notes and a full glossary both of which are essential if Scott's text is to be fully understood. Heart of Midlothian is perhaps not the best place to begin reading Scott. But it is a novel, which anyone who reads Scott should aim towards, for it is quite possibly the best of the Waverley novels.

Having lived through the turbolent sixties and the Watergate era, I was able to more fully appreciate what a great leader Gerald Ford was. He was not a flashy person, but he was steady and calm. He restored a sense of calmness and reliability to a hurting nation.

You know you are doing well when the nutty Right and the kookie Left disdain you. President Ford not only chronicles his date with destiny as the 38th President, but gives in depth information about his time as Commander-in-Chief. In my opinion, that time was all too short.

Had he been elected to a second term he could have completed the excellent work he started. I think he knew that the pardon of President Nixon would torpedo his chances at election in 1976, but he did what was best for the nation-placing the good of the country above his own aspirations. How rare!

Now, we mourn the loss of this great man. And I can honestly say that there was never a vote I cast that I felt better about than the vote I cast for President Ford. He had courage, integrity, fortitude, and vision. He knew how to run this country when it was very close to being torn apart. Now we seem to thrive on seeing how divided, partisan, and nasty politics can be.

Men like Gerald Ford are so rare as individuals, and as politicians, almost unheard of. There will never be another like him. Thank you, President Ford for sharing so much of yourself with us. You truly were the "real deal."

Perhaps in the first time in the publishing industry, a former president had to refund a portion of the advance for his memoirs due to its falling short of expectations of the publisher. That is all that needs to be said about A Time To Heal.

Gerald R. Ford stumbled into the presidency in the same way comic Chevy Chase panned him in skits on SNL. Embattled Pres. Richard Nixon needed a mark to make sure he could shuffle out of the Oval Office without the threat of being prosecuted for crimes & misdemeanors, and Ford was the man.

The book is short on detailed facts concerning the issue of the pardon and staggers through the key points of the times - the fall of Saigon and the 1976 Republican primary that basically undid his presidency - like a running back on a soggy field and wearing the wrong cleats for proper traction.

Ford should have had the courage to take a pen in hand and truly write a major piece on the tumolt that defined his brief presidency. The book publisher certainly expected more. But I guess that sketches short on facts are what should have been expected from an individual who truly defined the term, "Beltway Insider."

The book is great if you want to know more about Gerald Ford. Ford tells it like it is. He does not let his ego stand in the way of tell his side of the story. It a down to earth, honest book about the same type of man. Too bad that we do not have more people in Congress like Gerald Ford instead of people who are only worried about getting reelected to office.

I have a pet theory that the first vote you cast for the office of President of the United States is key to how you will vote for the rest of your life. In other words, every vote is an extension of or a reaction to that original vote. I case my first vote in 1976 for Gerald R. Ford and the key factor was that here was a man who had not run for president. Selected by Richard Nixon and the Congress of the United States to replaced Spiro Agnew as Vice President, Ford assumed the presidency when Nixon resigned because of the Watergate cover up. Consequently, there has always been part of me that has wanted to disqualify everybody who wants to be president. Granted, it makes it impossible to vote for anybody, but I still think on some level that if you want to be president you should not be allowed to hold the office (However, this is not as far-fetched as it sounds: the current occupant of the White House did not want to be president, but rather Commissioner of Baseball).

Gerald Rudolph Ford, the 38th President of the United States, was actually born Leslie Lynch King, Jr., but his parents separated two weeks after his birth and when his mother married Gerald R. Ford, a paint salesman in Grand Rapids, Michigan, they changed the boy's name and we avoided having a King become President. Ford tells the story of his life in simple and rather unembellished terms. When he was 17 he had a chance meeting with his biological father apparently devoid of sentiment or significance. How he relates the incident is representative of the way that Ford presents his life's story, with restraint and without tooting his own horn. The things for which he has been honored throughout his life, from being an All-American football player at the University of Michigan to being honored by President Jimmy Carter in his inaugural address for all he had done to heal the nation in the wake of Watergate, are taken in stride. Consequently, "A Time to Heal: The Autobiography of Gerald R. Ford" is as much a testament to the man's character as it is a memoir of his life in and out of politics.

Ford covers the major episodes of his life, growing up in Michigan, being an Eagle Scout, playing at Michigan and turning down offers to play professional football to attend Yale Law School instead. During World War II Ford served in the Navy on the U.S.S. Monterey, a light aircraft carrier. After the war he practiced law and then won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1948. It was during that campaign that he married Elizabeth Ann Bloomer Warren. Ford was re-elected to Congress a dozen times, always getting over 60% of the vote. Rejecting opportunities to run for the Senate or the Michigan governorship, Ford's ambition was to become Speaker of the House. He described himself as "a moderate in domestic affairs, an internationalist in foreign affairs, and a conservative in fiscal policy," and was considered a "reform" Republican.

What becomes interesting in looking at Ford's career in Congress is to see the reputation he established with his colleagues as House Minority leader, so that when the scandal plagued Nixon Administration needed someone who was totally clean to become Vice-President, there was no opposition to Ford. I think the biggest mistake in the entire run of "The West Wing" was the notion that the Congress would have not only confirmed but pushed somebody like Bob Russell for Vice President. In selecting Ford to replace Agnew, and then selecting Nelson Rockerfeller to in turn replace Ford, Congress made sure the person a heart beat away from the presidency was qualified, even given the political complications. But even such creative fiction only serves to emphasize the respect his colleagues had for Ford.

In terms of the Ford Presidency this autobiography does focus on the key episodes from the pardon of Nixon (I always thought it was the right thing to do) and the capture of the U.S.S. Mayaguez to the two assassination attempts, his "Whip Inflation Now" policy and the 1976 presidential campaign. After holding off a strong challenge from Ronald Reagan in the Republican primaries, Ford and his running mate Senator Bob Dole succeeded in narrowing the gap on Jimmy Carter, but lost in a close election. One of the key moments in the debates was when Ford was castigated for suggesting that the Poles did not think they were under Soviet domination. Ironically, it was in Poland that the first major cracks in the Communist bloc took place and in retrospect Ford was apparently more right than anybody at the time ever guessed.

Those looking for major revelations and profound insights will not find them here. This is a relatively simple man, laying out the public record more out of a sense of obligation, because history demands such things, than out of a need to justify what he has done (cf. Johnson, Nixon, Clinton). While trying to be open about his personal life, he clearly remains a private man. If you remember how he spoke, both in his speeches and in his conversations, you can "hear" Ford's voice as you read this book. So while this is not the most revealing or insightful of presidential autobiographies, it does provide Ford's side of the story, and you will have the sense that it is one of the most honest. Final Note: Inside the front cover of my first edition copy of "A Time to Heal" I still have the folded up sample ballot for the 1976 general election that I voted on in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

I dont agree with the other reviewer below, the books size is nice, makes it more handy at the GM table were my space is at a minimum anyhow. The only thing lacking is an index, but since the monsters are all in alphabetized, who cares?.

This book works with any OMNI system fantasy setting also, I must have.

This is the matching "Monster Manual" for Atantis: The Second Age, which is to say it's the update for Bard Game's Atlantean Trilogy Bestiary Book.

However, it should be noted immediately that A:tSA is based on the OMNI (orginally the Talislantian-exclusive) system, and not the older 'Trilogy books.

The book itself is standard fair and useful for any GM for A:tSA but gets a big negative from me due to its size. It's completely incompatible with the main rulebook dimensionally in any sort of fashion. It's not even at least exactly half-sized, but some strange stock that's slightly larger then half-sized.

It may sound silly, but if you've ever walked with books any distance uniformity is a positive thing. There was really no reason to do this other then the fear of the book being otherwise somewhat thin and no desire to add content.

Not cool. Three stars for what's inside & two for the obnoxious size issue.

Courtesy of The Best Reviews

This book is sure to draw the readers in from the beginning, with plenty of mystery, suspense, and of course, a healthy dose of romance.

Alexandra Watson has special abilities. She is able to sense people's emotions and she also has been known to "see" events before they happen. She is an American, headed to London after her father's death, to live as ward to one of his old friends. She is less than pleased with her new living arrangements and would like nothing more then to be able to stay in her own home, with her companion and friend, Flora Cormack. She is infuriated over the presumptuousness of her new guardian, Ross Havenwood, in taking over governing her life, and she intends to tell him so, as soon as she sees him again. Her tender feelings for him that he has carried since she last saw him 10 years previous are not enough to save him from her anger.

Much has happened in Ross' life since he last saw Alexandra - he has been married and widowed, in quite a scandalous affair that he is still reeling from. Gone is the happy-go-lucky, romantic soul that he once was, for he has become disillusioned and has lost in faith in people. Yet he remembers the young girl from 10 years past, and the idyllic time he spent visiting her and her late father. When Alexandra arrives at his London home, he is unprepared for the fiery beauty she has become. Shockingly enough, he finds that tender emotion, which he though long -buried, has come trickling to the surface again, though he is not yet willing to lose the cynical view of life he has adopted.

Alexandra and Ross clash from the first moment she arrives, full of indignation over his handling of her affairs, and the distant man he has become. Until her gift comes crashing forth, in the form of disturbing dreams. A madman is loose in London's East End, killing prostitutes and mangling their bodies and Alexandra begins to dream about the murders. Except in her dreams, she is the woman being brutally slain, and she feels all of their abject fear, and the intense pain he inflicts on them. She is afraid to tell Ross about her dreams, for fear he will mock her for them. What she doesn't realize is, he suffers the same dreams, and upon their discovery of their mutual nightmares, they must team up to try to help solve the grisly murders, before a young friend of theirs becomes the murderer's next victim. All the while battling their night demons, they find themselves unable to resist the allure of their attraction for one another, and the fact they may have found their soul mates in each other.

Ms. Agnew has written a compelling story here. Alexandra and Ross are a perfect couple, overcoming great odds to find the love they both long for. Alexandra is a strong heroine, having had to hide her abilities, or be scorned for them, yet she has never lost the innocence in her heart, even having seen the darker side of life through her visions. Ross is a man beaten down by life, once happy and care-free, now cynical and distrusting in the good facets of life. Alexandra brings back the light to his world, dispelling the clouds that have been looming over him ever since his disastrous marriage. There is also a delightful secondary romance as well, which adds to the story rather then detracting from it.

The dark underside of London life is the main focus of the mystery and horror, which makes up a large part of the plot in this book. The history of "Jack the Ripper" has fascinated people for over a century, in a twisted sort of way. So it was interesting to see Ms. Agnew's take on the whole sordid mystery that has never been solved. This book runs the gamut of reader emotions, keeping one engrossed all the way through to the end. One will feel sadness over Alexandra's father's death and the destruction of Ross' marriage, mental anguish as they suffer the consequences of their "gift" which often seems more like a curse. There is abject horror over the grisly killings and the terrible fear in the victims. Then, there is the elation when Ross and Alexandra finally "save the day" and give in to their desire to be together, bringing about the required happy ending for a romance. Everything is wrapped up nicely in a package sure to captivate the reader.

This book is definitely recommended to anyone who loves a good romance that has plenty of action, and a touch of the paranormal thrown in for good measure.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, September 2003. All rights reserved.

A chilling tale of love and unspeakable murder. This is a fantastic thrilling read!

On the East End of London, destitution, filth, and darkness prey on women of ill repute. But an enemy far more evil threatens the ladies of the night, cleansing them with the sharp edge of a knife.

Alexandra Watson travels to London to find her feelings for Ross Havenwood, a man who saved her father's life, hasn't changed all that much. She also finds frightening dreams of blood and murder and the need to save Eveline Putnam from the streets of Whitechapel and the madman who stalks her.

Ross Havenwood is haunted by a hurtful past and a burning desire to protect Alexandra, even if it's from her own foolish acts. He soon learns no man controls her, least of all him. But the thought of what might happen to her in darkened corners on the East End chills him to the bone.

An intriguing tale centered on the Jack the Ripper murders. Readers beware lest you find you're afraid to go to sleep once the lights go out.

From Book Jacket:
This revealing book by a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter traces the life of Spiro T. Agnew from his formative years in Baltimore as the son of a Greek immigrant through his governorship of Maryland and headline-making role as the 37th Vice President.
During his many years in public office, Spiro Agnew has been called both a liberal and a conservative, a racist and a civil rights advocate, a political puppet and a distinctive individualist. Quoting from his speeches--the much-publicized talk to black leaders during the Baltimore race riots, his acceptance speech at the Republican Presidential Convention (when he conceded that his name was not a "household word"), and his comments on the role of television and the press--Lucas goes behind the headlines and the rhetoric to portray in detail one of the most controversial men of our time.

This book is brilliant as it includes all things about the 2000 season.

FROM THE BACK COVER:

His Sister's Kiss by Kate Hill:
After surviving captivity in a Vietnam prison camp, Master Sergeant Abraham Marley Forbes longs more than ever for a loving family life. It's a dream he doubts will ever come true, until a promise to a deceased friend sends him straight into the arms of the one woman who can fulfill his deepest desires.

Major Pleasure by Denise A. Agnew:
He's got the military command...Army Special Forces Major Blayne Forbes has always desired Jemma Teagan, but knows she's off limits for a casual relationship. The last thing he wants is involvement with a forever kind of woman.
Jemma's desire for the diamond-in-the-rough soldier has never faded, and when he tumbles into her arms, the tough guy sends her heart rate into orbit. She doesn't want to love a man destined for danger, until he challenges her to a display of harware she can't resist.

Charming Annie by Arianna Hart:
As Major Annie Forbes heads home from her shift as a nurse at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the last thing she expects is to be running for her life. With the help of Mason "Mace" O'Keefe, an injured helicopter pilot, Annie must find a way to save the hospital from being blown up by a fanatic terrorist group. As the danger heats up, the attraction between Mace and Annie does as well. Now they just have to survive long enough to see if their smoldering attration is just adrenaline or something more.

This book is lots of fun; it's full of howling puns and silly word play. At the same time, it's a real history of Rome (up to the death of Caesar), with all the facts as straight as they're ever going to be. I'm not sure I'd assign it to students with no knowledge of Roman history, but as a supplement to Livy or Cicero, it would be great.