Boyd Books

Writers Digest is the place to go if you are a writer- and this book is the book to read if you want to make a living as a writer. Great tips and information. Buy this book today! ...

The most striking thing about WRITER'S DIGEST HANDBOOK OF MAKING MONEY FREELANCE WRITING, is that more than ten years after publication, it is comically out dated. More on that later. The introduction tells us this is a collection of the best questions asked by readers and answers provided by Writer's Digest members on how to make money in the writing game.

As one would expect, the articles are impeccably well written. The book is exceptional in its progression and layout, divided into three sections; Conducting the Freelance Business, Freelance Opportunities, and The Freelancer's Lifestyle. No, that last section has nothing to do with golfing, cocktail parties or cruising the Caribbean. It is a compilation of articles regarding setting up your office space, when to quit your day job, finding time to write and other such topics.

The book is now more than ten years old and, let's face it, technology has come a long way in a decade. The reader will chuckle when reading that making phone calls while holding down a job should be avoided. Instead one should use a nearby payphone during their lunch break. Good luck finding a pay phone these days. Many of these articles are similarly out dated, but still contain relevant value when placed into context.

There are a few articles here that have withstood the test of time and still give this book marketability today. I found particularly interesting and informative, an article by John Wilson on reslanting your work for multiple sales; a short piece by Linda Brodsky titled Writing the Copy; and the crème de la crème, Big Bucks in Business Writing by Robert Bly. This is one of three articles by Bly.

Though not exactly hot off the press, a handful of articles found here make this book relevant and applicable even today. This will not make your top ten list, but you will learn from it if you want to invest a little time here.

Do you want to freelance? I mean, really freelance? And be the master of your own literary destiny? Then buy this book!

Writer's Digest produces fine books for the writing professional but the one that really lays the foundation for the starting freelancer is this tome. The book is really a collection of articles written by professional writers in a veriety of genres. Each article is loaded with tips, tricks, and helpful, timely information that every beginning freelancer needs to know. From how to get published, to the basics of running your own freelance business, this book covers it all. (Did I mention that it covers it all! )

In a word - BUY IT!

The Writer's Digest Handbook of Making Money Freelance Writing, from the editors of Writer's Digest magazine, offers insight for writers seeking to turn to a freelance writing career.

For those starting out in the business, or those looking for inspiration from other freelance writers, this book offers information from various authors on how to keep the money flowing in; how to call an editor; guide to copyright, work for hire situations; the art of negotiation; how to make time for writing; beating taxes; work expenses and so on.

There are three sections in the book covering the above aspects and many more: Section 1- Conducting the Freelance Business, lists twenty-two articles on how to bring in the money, tips for the beginning freelancer, setting your rates, billing your clients, tax tips, making a full-time impression even though you are a part-time writer, and many more.

When I started my freelance career, the most important article to me in this section was, "Four Tips for Beginning Freelancers", by Liza Galin Asher.

In her article, Liza reveals some good tips for new freelancers to keep them on the right path. The first tip, Writing is a business, she talks about how freelancers are actually like salespeople only their ideas are their "products". This really is key to remember because if a freelancer doesn't work selling their written work, their talent and creativity will not be printed and thus, will go unnoticed. The more experience the freelancer gets in selling their work as well as writing it, they will become more proficient and will not have to focus so much on selling their work.

Think small and Local. Here Liza urges the freelancer to remember their goal is to get published and to jump to writing articles for big time magazines like Vanity Fair, or Vogue. Freelancers should start out writing for newspapers, trade newspapers and magazines in their neighborhood. It is good to start small and work your way up.

Liza says the best way to get the most out of what you write is to keep re-selling the articles you have already written. Once you sell and article, go back to it and re-write it with a new angle and submit it elsewhere. An article is never retired so long as you can keep putting a new spin on it each time your write, or add important information that has recently become available. Also keep in mind to resubmit rejected articles to other publications. Just because one place didn't find a need for your work, doesn't mean someone else will reject you.

Lastly, Liza reminds novice freelancers that just because you sold your first piece, doesn't mean it is time to quite your job. The freelance writing life is uncertain and there are many lulls from when you make your first sale until the next time you make a sale. She does mention that if your salary from freelancing makes at least fifty percent of your regular job's salary, then you would probably be safe in quitting your real job.

Section 2 - Freelance Opportunities, lists fifteen articles on: the market for writers, expenses, work for hire, ghostwriting, using pictures with work, as well as a few others.

One good article from this sections is Dennis E. Hensley's "Simple Steps to Multiple Marketing". Here Dennis, lists the various levels of smallest local publishers to the largest circulation periodicals as well as their pay ranges.

He also talks about the four requirements freelancers must have in order to sell their work to more than one editor. Freelancers should make sure their previous work doesn't overlap too much with the reprint readers market's audience. He states how he did this by selling a piece to Detroit Free Press and then selling the same piece to The Fort Wayne News-Sentinel as people in Indian didn't receive the Detroit Free Press.

When you are selling the same piece of writing to a different editor than you did before, be sure to send in different photos than you sent in last time with the submission. This will offer a new visual perspective to readers who may have already read the article somewhere else. Yet, if you don't have new photos, it is best to send in the same photos you used before with the manuscript than to send in no photos at all.

When you are writing for a new publication, freelancers should re-write their article in the style of their target market. Freelancer should study any back issues they can get in order to determine the correct tone and slant to use when re-working their piece.

Adding news items relevant to your readers is also a good idea.

Hensley urges writers to remember to sell only their one time rights as selling all rights, removes the author's say in how their work is used. The author also will not be able to use that work elsewhere.

Lastly, Hensley talks about seven ways for freelancers to get multiple sales from their work.

Section 3 - The Freelancer's Lifestyle, has eleven articles covering the topics of: making time to write, home office, handling distractions and interruptions, quitting your day job and so on.

The most important issue I find among people who like to write is finding the time to do so. Robyn Carr's article "How to Make Time to Write" approaches this obstacle. She talks about how some people don't sit down to write because of the lack of time. They don't want to start writing in fear that they may not have time to continue the following day. Other reasons include being too exhausted at the end of days work to think straight and many writers fear they will be interrupted when they do sit down and begin scratching pen to paper, or typing on their computers.

As well as their being many reasons not to write, Robyn also talks about different kinds of writers such as all-or-nothing writer, scheduled writer, catch-as-can writer, and the super writer. No matter what kind of writer you are, you probably have a busy schedule that either includes a little time for writing, or none at all. Robyn suggests rearranging your schedule to fit writing time when it will not be of an inconvenience to your spouse, your boss, etc. For example, you can write a bit before going into work, on your lunch break, or before bed. If rearranging your schedule doesn't work, try taking time from something else you are doing, but may not be enjoying as much.

Though writing is important, Robyn makes sure her readers understand that writing is not more important than the job that brings in steady cash flow; it's not more important than you marriage or your children. It's all about balance and finding what works for you and your family.

There are many more great articles in Making Money Freelance Writing, that will be helpful for the novice freelancer. The information is invaluable in educating any freelancer as well as keeping them on the right track. I highly recommend reading this book if you are a freelancer in search of insightful articles from other authors in your field who have been where you are and understand the situations you may be facing.

The humor of Jeff Foxworthy reminds me of the old television show "Sanford and Son." The main characters were all black, and most of them were poor. Therefore, they could poke fun at it and even use the stereotypes used to depict poor blacks. It was the only network television show where the word ni**er could be used. Foxworthy claims to be a redneck, so he also can poke fun using the stereotypes of what many people call "trailer trash."
The people are depicted as dumb, toothless, crude and ill mannered. In only a few pages, he manages to hit just about every stereotype. My favorite is on page 32, where he says, "You might be a redneck if your Thanksgiving dinner was ever ruined because you ran out of ketchup." I found some of them mildly humorous, but most of them were a bit silly. I thought the dumbest one was "You might be a redneck if you think Volvo is part of a woman's anatomy." Foxworthy's humor does little for me, but that might just be personal taste. Therefore, if you like this kind of humor, you will probably bust a gut when reading this book. However, if your tastes are more towards intelligent humor, it will probably just bore you.

Fans of the 'redneck humor' of Jeff Foxworthy as seen on TV comedy shows will be glad to know his one-liner observations about what makes a 'redneck' translate well to text and one-panel comics, too. David Boyd's illustrations grace a funny book perfect for the non-reader fully aware of all-too-real 'redneck habits'.

Yep... if the directions to your house include "turn off the paved road" this is the book for you. As a person who has lived off the paved part of the road (and perhaps I've been out of NYC too long) but I recognize the people in this book. There's humor here because of the incredible sense of recognition. I've known people like this and I adore Jeff Foxworthy for pointing out the humor in these comical stereotypes!

this book by the southern flavored performer is a work out for the stomach muscles . foxworthy tells the story of his childhood , teen years and about his present day life in a manner that makes you jealous you didn't grow up with the guy. his stories about deer hunting and playing pranks on his mom will make you break out laughing in the middle of your train/bus ride. if you are a fan of foxworthy (as i am) you will recognise the classic bits and enjoy lots of new and hillariously funny ones. if you want to avoid embarrasing yourselves in public , read this book alone , because you will laugh out loud. click on the add to cart icon you will not be dissapointed

About a year ago a teacher/performer friend asked me who my first guitar teacher was. Larry McCabe, quite a few years ago. My friend looked surprised, and told me he uses Larry's books in his own teaching, and that Larry had written something like 80 books to date. I had no idea, as Larry was in the process of writing his first book when I had lessons with him. So when it came time to brush up on some basic blues licks for a band I'm in I ended up obtaining some of Larry's books.

This book of blues turnarounds is where I started. What a great book - full of excellent turnaround licks. At this point I've only played through about half of them note for note, but have used those as a basis for coming up with my own licks. And to me, that is the mark of a great book - lots of useful information if read note-for-note, but can also be used as a springboard for creating new ideas.

The licks I've learned from the book thus far are all in the key of C, but can be easily used in other keys if one has a basic knowledge of the notes on the fretboard. I'd highly recommend this book for a beginner wanting to learn stock blues licks, or intermediate players who need to expand their blues vocabulary.

An Excellent Choice for the Early Intermediate Blues Guitarist

A turnaround is a lick played at the end of a section of music. A blues turnaround would be played in measures 11-12 of a 12-bar blues, or measures 7-8 of an eight-bar blues.

Electric urban blues turnarounds are fairly easy to play, and the difference from one to another is subtle. Having the ability to play a variety of turnarounds is an important skill in blues guitar playing. This is the best book I know of that addresses exclusively the subject of electric blues guitar turnarounds.

This a book for a VERY ambitious beginner, or an early intermediate guitarist who has an interest in Chicago blues in the classic style of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed, etc.

The licks are all arranged in the key of C. This is for ease of analysis and comparison. The user is encouraged to transpose the licks to other keys - a worthwhile project for exploring and learning the fingerboard. Very, very good practice for learning the art of blues phrasing.

Great book from one of our leading authors. My students (and myself) have consistently benefited from the interesting instruction contained here.

My students and I work from several of Larry McCabe's guitar books and find that the books produce consistently high results.

This book, like the others, is exceptionally well crafted, specific in intent, and the guitar lines are accurately written exactly as they are heard on the CD. Larry McCabe books are the work of a dedicated teacher who has achieved a high level of respect nationally in the field of music education.

Larry asked me to write a review for this book, and I am happy to do so. The object of this book is to teach the art of playing blues guitar turnarounds to a guitarist who has some prior experience but is just beginning to explore electric blues.

If a student knows how to bend the strings and perhaps play slurs, slides, and hammers, blues turnarounds are not difficult to play. What is important is to play them authentically and with conviction. This book does a very good job in advancing those objectives.

A component of this book that is quite effective is that every phrase is written in the Key of C. The student should then transpose each lick to other keys, a desirable skill that encourages individual incentive and ability to solve arranging problems.

The turnarounds sound exactly like the ones played on classic blues recordings by the great artists from Chicago and other urban areas.

I know other teachers who swear by Larry's books, and I am one of them. Great book- effective in its aims, ambitious content, fun to work through, and a great value.

This very fine book has been in print in one form or another since the early-to-mid 1980s. Not many music books remain in print that long, but this is an exceptional collection of model solos in the urban blues style.

The book is quite popular with music teachers (as evidenced by the other reviews) and it is enjoyable and productive for students as well. The book is aimed at the ambitious early intermediate student, and a few of the solos will challenge an intermediate guitarist.

There are 25 full-length solos in the book, each written in notation and tablature, and each recorded note-for-note on the accompanying CD. The band on the CD is excellent. There are five solos in C, five in G, five in D, five in A, and five in E. The solos are played to standard blues progressions, meaning that they may be "plugged in" to similar blues progressions that are found in many, many songs.

The solos sound exactly like the solos heard on real blues records. They are varied and performed with taste, authenticity, and feeling. You can hear why the author was a columnist for Living Blues Magazine and why his work has received consistently high reviews in a number of guitar magazines.

Great book, highly recommended.

I wish all music instruction books were written in this format. The song tabs just go from one page to the next without a bunch of talking/writing in between, and the song numbers in the book actually match the song numbers on the cd...what a rare and unique idea! Of course, none of that would matter if the material were bad, but that's not the case, the solos are great - quite diverse too. There is a lot of helpful information in this book: theory, writing your own solos, a guide to blues styles and artists,etc. - but it's all in it's own section of the book, not sprinkled throughout the book here and there making it impossible to find. As a full time guitar instructor I would just like to say "great job", "great blues solos" and "great, easy to use format". Thanks.

The author of this book, Larry McCabe, is re-releasing books that have gone out of print for one reason or another. This particular book is an old friend. After I received it, I went into my library and found a copy. It has been in print in one form or another for 25 years. Most instruction books don't last anywhere near that long. First, this book (as the author warns) is not for beginners. You need to be familiar with the movable blues scales we all use. If you are playing out, and feel comfortable with the whole neck, get this book. The style of lead is closer to Gatemouth Brown and Freddie King than anyone else. If you don't know who these men are, buy their CDs. You are in for a treat. Please read the author's introduction. There is a lot of good info there. The Tab system is the older style. It should take about 30 seconds to adjust. It's actually easier to read than the current form. If you consider yourself a Rock guitarist instead of Blues, you really could use this book. If you use these solos as a "how to", instead of just memorizing them, they will give you some new weapons. You know, for scaring the heck out of other guitarists.

Boyd's account of his time in Vietnam is, at times, very difficult to read because of how vividly he described his 365-day tour of duty as a twenty-year-old draftee in the War. His desire to survive propelled him to make choices that I believe he never would have made if he was not sent to war. He makes no apologies for these choices, which at times might seem heartless or unforgivable. His memoir illuminates the complexities of human nature, war, survival and life threatening situations. It highlights how a caring human being will make choices in the face of extreme danger to protect his safety. I found his description of coming back to the United States and being met by protesters of the Vietnam War a sad commentary on where many in our Nation were during that War. It's tempting to connect this memoir to our present day wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the impact of war on our military and our response to war as civilians. I am grateful for the sacrifice he and other soldiers made so that I could be secure in freedom without fear and focus on raising my family.

For a man fortunate enough to be just the "right" age to have missed all last century's wars, this book satisfies that niggling curiosity about what we missed as non-warriors. Mr.Boyd writes his story, perhaps for the first time able to claim it, with such clarity and power that one can understand how veterans often long re-live their experiences as though they are happening over again. This, of course, is the plague of many a veteran who has had their war experience etched so deeply into their psyche that it is difficult to separate present from past, or fact from fiction. But the beginning of healing is to be able to tell one's story, and Boyd has done that remarkably well. He leads us step by step, month by month, experience by experience to the moment his very soul seems to disconnect itself from the beaten and worn out body and mind and leaves him ready to curl up in a filthy, death-ridden foxhole and let the war pass him by. The book is not without its color and humor and readability, but it is largely the brave action of a vet many years older now who is trying to reclaim his lost soul, searching for wholeness. In that, the author is well on his way to success.

This is a simple, yet fascinating autobiographical account of one man's actual experience of being drafted and serving in the army infantry during the Vietnam war. The author expresses his own experiences on a personal level in a way that really allows you to see his viewpoint and better understand what it might have felt like to be there. The different chapters each describe different experiences that help you see through the author's eyes where you don't end up seeing the Vietnam War as a fight for any big cause, or even as a larger war, but simply as an effort by one man to find a way to survive each day in his immediate situation and what he figures out along the way. The stories are a combination of interesting strategies, fascinating events, as well as depressing and horrifying events. But you finish the book with a better understanding of the author, a surprising look at what you yourself might have felt in the same situations, and you will think about it for long after you finish it.

5 Stars

A useful book, shipment very fast! in 9 days i received it...and i live in Italy.

Thanks Amazon

Creative
Clear
Consistent
Cost little

Most software "companions" (more than a manual...not quite a book) really do not do justice to the software. Quite the contrary for the AMPL guide. AMPL (the language) is a *very* powerful and *very* easy to use Optimization package. It interfaces with most of the major solvers. Users program in AMPL which is more or less pseudocode and then solve LP, nonlinear, combinatorial, integer, etc. programs. Unlike most software packages, it is both robust and easy to use. Likewise with the companion/book. There are many great, easy to follow examples, and it clearly explains the intrecacies of the language. A must use software and most own book for anyone doing any optimization work.

Wow this book is good and fast. I read it in one night. I like how its like an online rpg, only its for real. Anybody who plays video games should read it.

if you like video games you will like this book. THe gmae is like a roleplaying game, and the characters get trapped in it. They need to complete the quest to get out. It's funny.

Joe and Katie find themselves in a strange store at the mall, and jump at the chance to buy their favorite computer card game - which turns out to be all too real. Transported into a world of dragons where the goal is to locate a five-piece amulet, the two travel a dangerous world in their leisure time, struggle with the questions of parents and friends when not at play - and wonder what will happen if they fail. The Amulet Of Komondor is a riveting story of a computer game gone awry.

A stranger appears in your life. He's attractive, but even more, he's charismatic, sexually alluring, but aloof. Everybody who meets him falls in love with him. And he's mysterious, suddenly disappearing and then popping back up again in the most unexpected places and times, but always with coincidental (almost magical) significance. And he's got a message for you--and for the world. And he wants you to spread it. He gives you a manuscript, and then he disappears again, leaving you with a mission.

This is certainly a familiar theme in mythological writing. From Richard Bach's Messiah or Myles Connolly's very Catholic Mr. Blue to the gospel stories themselves about Jesus, one of the ways "revealed" or spiritual insight is traditionally presented is as "the book within the book." There's a story about meeting the charismatic message giver, and within that story is the story or teaching he gives.

This happens in real life. It's not just a theme in literature or mythology. It's an actual experience people have. In my own life, my nicknamesake and first collaborator Toby Marotta entered my life in an almost magical way, invited me to help him edit his masterpiece Harvard doctoral dissertation into a publishable book, and then, leaving me with a copy to rewrite (and a message about the meaning of the gay rights movement), he disappeared with his exotic Parsi lover to search for crystals in India.

I just made it sound more magical and mysterious than it really was: Marotta's partner was a geology professor from India who imported minerals as a sideline business to teaching. This was just a business trip and I was left with just a copyediting job. But it was the start of my own writing career--and of my own understanding of gay consciousness.

So when Howard Cook relates the tale of his meeting the elusive, charismatic Bradford Lightfoot Dare in the strangest of places over a period of many years, I was ready to believe the story on several levels from the mythic to the mundane. Cook's story of Brad Dare is quite intriguing. He first shows up in a Trappist monastery, then as a nude model for life-drawing classes in Washington, DC. He's a dance partner to debutantes and a most eligible bachelor in the nation's capital. Next he's a Jesuit seminarian studying Teilhard de Chardin, and a little later, he appears unexpectedly as a housemate in a hippie household in Greenwich Village in the apartment previously occupied by the New York Queen of the Gypies--with writer Norman Mailer indirectly making the reintroduction. Then he becomes a gay porn star in San Francisco and a character in the development of West Coast New Age thought along with Ken Kesey and Alan Watts.

Especially because the tale begins in the 1950s, I couldn't help being reminded of Fred Demara, "The Great Imposter," (played by Tony Curtis in the movie) who beguiled the American public in those days with his story of living many identities, including Trappist monk. But Bradford Dare comes across in Cook's telling not as a daring adventurer (though look at his name!) thumbing his nose at convention and legalities, but as a dedicated and driven seeker of transcendent truths, though no less rebel.

Dare shows up again in Cook's life many years later, after Cook has successfully marketed a couple of books. He's been studying and thinking and making notes all these years, and now asks Howard Cook's assistance in articulating and promulgating the wisdom and enlightened insight he's gained.

And that's the book within the book: Bradford Lightfoot Dare's proposal for how to modernize Christianity and recreate the Church. Partly tongue-in-cheek and partly with multi-layered symbolism, Dare calls his message the first encyclical of Pope John the Beloved.

Blending modern-day physics and cosmology, a little Teilhard and a little Matthew Fox, comparative religion, some Joseph Campbell, intelligent New Age thought, progressed Christianity, American political idealism, evolutionary theory, postmodernism, (and here and there what seem like loose associations), Pope John the Beloved calls for a new Church of the Second Coming--also referred to (iconoclastically) as the Church of Kingdom Come - COKC (try pronouncing the acronym).

It's a sex-positive religion based in an evolutionary model of human nature with an openly gay priesthood (with a somewhat progressed understanding of the role of homosexual consciousness in evolution). Some of the tenets of COKC are intentionally controversial (like the proposal that genetic science will soon allow humans to reproduce in the lab, avoiding all the dangers of unregulated breeding, and taking advantage of the opportunity to improve human nature at the molecular level). But the suggestions for an updated religious model come across as heartfelt and genuine.

I've tended to focus on the frame of the story rather than the content. Brad Dare would probably prefer I was writing about his ideas rather than Cook's presentation. But I will leave readers to study Dare's "encyclical" on their own: it's a little overwhelming to summarize in a few paragraphs in a book review. I think men in the gay spirituality movement will recognize many of the themes (like the question "Was Jesus gay?"). But some of the ideas are fresh and come from unexpected directions (like the "final anthropic principle" in quantum cosmology). And, at any rate, it's not so much the conclusions that will draw readers into the book as the process. Whether you agree with the conclusions or not, the debate is interesting and the argumentation thought-provoking.

For me, as reviewer, the most thought-provoking was the question whether Brad Dare is an alter-ego and literary device of Howard Cook's multi-faceted mind or a "real" person. In a way, it doesn't make any difference.

I must say I was disappointed at the end of the book that the framing story is not recapitulated. I wanted to know what happened to Brad Dare. All we get at the end is that he is working on a follow-up about the Church of the Gay Salvation.

Be Done on Earth is a neat example of an ancient literary and mythical dynamic by which wisdom is personified in a charismatic person who inspires those caught in his magic spell to discover their own insights and to surpass him. I was pleased to suspend disbelief and enjoyed the book--just as 30 years ago at the start of my writing career I was willing to suspend disbelief and let my friend and fellow Toby be an inspiration and watershed in my own life.

I wonder if there's something "inherently gay" in finding inspiration in a charismatic person instead of an authoritarian institution or revealed text. I think that might be one of the subjects in Pope John the Beloved's second encyclical...

This review appears in White Crane Journal #71

Be Done on Earth is a subtle and complicated book. Like Arnold Toynbee
it sees Western civilization as the product of "Christendom" and raises
this question: Can Western civilization survive the challenge of Islam?
That the current geo-political conflicts are nothing less than a clash
of civilizations, and traditional terms like Armageddon are evoked in
describing current global conflicts. We are reminded that 21
civilizations have evolved on earth so far, and all are either dead or dying.
That Muhammad is the anti-Christ is taken for granted. Like Matthew Fox,
Hans Kung, John Shelby Spong, the author stresses the fact that
Christianity as an organized religion is rapidly being replaced by secularism.
Can can Western civilization survive? The answer is yes, but only if
it can "set its religous house in order." Be Done on Earth quotes
extensively from Alvin Boyd Kuhn's book, A Rebirth for Christianity, and
argues that for Christianity and therefore Western civilization to
survive Jews and Christians must rediscover their common origins in a
primitive religion that may even pre-date the pyramids. To become truly
catholic Christianity must become cosmic, discard its outmoded literalisms
and re-read its scriptures in the light of current sholarship. The
book's thesis that human evolution is now in an evolutionary phase
transition is presented in a cosmological and millenniel frame of reference.
The Gospel according to Luke, says the author, is a literary hybrid, a
cross between the gospel genre and a pre-meditated literary myth in the
Platonic vein. That interpretation puts Christianity squarly in the
camp of genetic engineering, the new eugenics, and transhumanism. Only
a "postmodern" reformulation of dogma can bring about a true
reformation. Which means that myth, metaphor, and cultural bias are necessary
parts of any religio-political ideology. Religious experience is deeply
and ineluctably subjective, or transcendental. Chapter 8 describes
the transcendental as a "fifth dimension." The title of chapter 11 is
"Notes toward a Postmodern Metaphysics" and lists a number of dogmas
for reformulation in the light of contemporary knowledge, or items for an
updated Christian metaphysics. Be Done on Earth is the kind of book
that has to be read more than once. The bibliography contains more than
100 items. All this may sound like heavy reading, but this book
actually reads like a novel. Don't miss it. It's a kind of book you can read
again and again and find new things to think about. The conversation in
chapter III, for example, "Expostulation and Reply" takes on a deeper
meaning when read a second time. I would give Be Done on Earth more
than 5 stars if I had more..

This book is astonishing! What's behind these global conflicts, these endless wars and pyrrhic victories? Answer: mankind is in a phase transition; Homo sapiens, like a caterpillar changing into a butterfly, is metamorphosing into Homo nobilis stellaris. And that evolutionary process can be described by the terms Resurrection, Transfiguration and Ascension. In short, the Second Coming, as Carlo Suar?s has insisted, is a hand. The Jesus dogma that the kingdom of heaven is spread out upon the earth, that the kingdom of heaven is within you, that in the kingdom of heaven there is neither marriage nor giving in marriage, is becoming a reality. Eroticism and procreation are separating. The Gospel According to Luke is a literary hybrid, a cross between the gospel genre and the premeditated literary myth in the Platonic vein. Rightly read Luke's gospel establishes scriptural precedence for genetic selection and artificial insemination.
BE DONE ON EARTH is divided into 17 chapters. The first 4 chapters take the reader through a bird's-eye review of the American pop culture scene of the past half century: the McCarthy era, the counterculture movement, the sex revolution, the New Age. Two statements in these introductory chapters are highly significant: 1) This book is the work of Pope John the Beloved, who calls this book his "first encyclical," 2) Procreation and Eroticism are becoming disjoint.
Chapter V is a manifesto: "Physics and Christian metaphysics are in fundamental agreement regarding the relation of intelligent life to the cosmos. Misreading the Jesus narrative as literal history has led to Christianity's present decadence. By recognizing that physics and Christian metaphysics are consonant Western civilization, sorely challenged by militant Islam, can set its religious house in order and recover its messianic elan."
Chapter V also gives the reader a list of definitions of the terms used, and states the book's thesis in an abstract : "Recently - in less than one circuit of the solar system around the galaxy - a new species, Homo sapiens, has appeared on Earth. Within the past 60,000 years two genes involved in determining the size of the Homo sapiens brain have changed significantly. That factor plus the present burgeoning of technology and the empirical sciences indicate that the species is evolving at an accelerating rate. In the third millennium CE the pace of Homo sapiens evolution may reasonably be expected - in a socially stable global environment -- to become asymptotic."
Homo sapiens are now polarizing around two tribal centers, militant Island and decadent Christendom (a term used interchangeably with Western Civilization) competing for territorial dominion on a global scale. Mohammad, in Christian eyes, is anti-Christ, while the West in Muslim eyes, is a crusading empire of infidels.
Insistently set in a cosmic and millennial frame of reference, BE DONE ON EARTH constitutes a remarkable discourse, the political upshot of which is that the church cannot belong to the state, and in the present millennium the state, by reason of the messianic He-shall-reign-forever-and-ever principle, will, can and must belong to the church.
Challenging, thought-provoking, this books will shock and outrage all those who are at ease in Zion. For BE DONE ON EARTH throws fuel on the flames of our current culture wars, and is bound for that reason alone to be highly controversial. We look to see it topping the best-seller list in non-fiction before the 4th of July. Highly, highly recommended.

Aneesa wondered if she would be able to enjoy Eid al-Adha, the big Muslim holiday marking the end of the Hajj pilgrimage. This year her parents had decided to travel to Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage, and the house seemed so quiet with just Aneesa and her grandmother. But Nonni had a surprise to cheer up her granddaughter: a large gift-wrapped box containing three gorgeous sets of clothes from Pakistan, complete with matching bangles and handmade shoes. She had also prepared Aneesha's favorite curried lamb dish to enjoy after returning from prayers. It took an encounter at the prayer hall with two refugee girls for Aneesha to realize just how fortunate she was. The girls had fled their war-torn country with little more than the clothes on their backs, and their father worked long hours, even on Eid, to try to make ends meet.

An outstanding book, The Best Eid Ever provides readers with an interesting account of the Eid holiday and Muslim culture as seen through the eyes of a young child. Wrapped into the story is an important lesson about the economic hardships associated with war, and a child's growing awareness of the difference between wants and needs. The lush colors and expressive features in the pastel pencil illustrations add a rich dimension to this enjoyable story.

I truly enjoyed reading this book. The illustrations brought it to life. I donated the book to the local elementary school and they loved it. What a nice way to make young students understand other cultures and traditions.

This is a wonderful story about the joy and happiness that comes from giving. It teaches children that true celebration comes from sharing what you have with others. These values are common to Islam, Judaism and Christianity. This book has particular meaning at this time of the year as all three of these faiths celebrate special holidays this December. Indeed, it is better to give than receive.

What a great book! It's both fun and educational. Being from Pennsylvania, I especially had a great time reading it. It's inspired me to get in the car and visit some off the beaten path places. Great design! It's more than a travel guide, it's great photos and fun stories. I highly recommend it. Well worth the $.

Even if you never visit any of these museums, this is a fun look at some exceptional places in PA. The author truly captures the enthusiasm of those who want to share their passions for the off-beat or unique with others. The photographs capture the spirit of the museums as well, and really add to the reader's enjoyment.

As a proud Pennsylvanian, I love this book! How did *I* not know about a Shoe Museum? (my first stop!) Also, I never knew we had a Jimmy Stewart Museum! This book is an excellent road trip companion! Educational, funny and user friendly! Gas up, pick up your traveling companion, crank up the tunes, highlight your stops, and hit the road! Learn more about Pennsylvania's whimsical past, present and future!