Burke Books

Are you the type of person who "stays up till all hours of the night watching "the tube" to learn new slang?", "YaWanna be cool"? Just "give your brain a rest" and listen to this wonderful teacher's aid cassette of American Slang. Leave the old "stuff" behind, and turn your class into a big "bash".Your students will love slang and will "roll out the red carpet for YOU"

Are you the type of person who "stays up till all hours of the night watching "the tube" to learn new slang?", "YaWanna be cool"? Just "give your brain a rest" and listen to this wonderful teacher's aid cassette of American Slang. Leave the old "stuff" behind, and turn your class into a big "bash".Your students will love slang and will "roll out the red carpet for YOU"

Are you the type of person who "stays up till all hours of the night watching "the tube" to learn new slang?", "YaWanna be cool"? Just "give your brain a rest" and listen to this wonderful teacher's aid cassette of American Slang. Leave the old "stuff" behind, and turn your class into a big "bash".Your students will love slang and will "roll out the red carpet for YOU"

Are you the type of person who "stays up till all hours of the night watching "the tube" to learn new slang?", "YaWanna be cool"? Just "give your brain a rest" and listen to this wonderful teacher's aid cassette of American Slang. Leave the old "stuff" behind, and turn your class into a big "bash".Your students will love slang and will "roll out the red carpet for YOU"

I enjoyed the Taste for Living Cookbook so much, I am thrilled that Beth Ginsberg continued to share her creativity in the kitchen in this new book. The WORLD cookbook contains all my favorite Italian, Chinese and Mexican recipes, re-invented with soy protein-- something I know will contribute to a long life for me and my family. And who would have thought we could still enjoy the all-American Chicago deep-dish pizza and Philly cheese steak without sacrificing health?! I have learned so much! Looking forward to Book 3.

The recipes are time intensive and many are tasteless. Health food does not deservice the bad rap.

I loved this book. I've been a vegetarian for years, and have had to live with the scorn of my food-snob friends, many of whom wouldn't come to my house for dinner parties. So I cooked a feast of Ginsberg's recipes and impressed them all-finally. The Chinese food is especially tasty, although the biscotti was terrific. I brought it to work and everyone ate it up.

At the recommendation of my grandmother, I purchased this book for help in preparing recipes prepared with soy. I was diagnosed with many allergies and I can no longer eat dairy products, corn, mushrooms, etc. (that's only the beginning, the list goes on!). I knew about tofu but I didn't know what to do with it. Using this book as a guide, I prepared a spinach lasagne following the ingredience for spinach ravoli (pg. 35). It was delicious, if I don't say so myself! I would definitely recommend this cookbook. I like using it as a guide to help with new ideas in food preparation. Bona Petite!

Another winner from Diana Palmer - don't miss adding this title to your collection, you'll want to read it again!

Description from the book back cover:

Man in a Million - Todd Burke's Biggest Accomplishment: Single-handedly raising a teenage daughter. Biggest Challenge: Saving Jane Parker's ranch. Biggest Problem: Jane Parker. Once-burned millionaire businessman Todd Burke had no intention of marrying anyone. Having one tempermental female under his roof was enough. Still, his daughter Cherry was crazy about former champion barrel racer Jane Parker - and secretly, Todd was too ... But no way was this hot-tempered, hot-blooded male giving in to the equally hot-tempered, hot-blooded cowgirl. He'd keep telling himself he didn't want Jane Parker, no matter how tempting she was ...

It was good to see a different story by Diana. Most of her books are about "confirmed bachelors", in this one, Todd already is divorced and has a 14 year old daughter.

The good things:

It was something a little new with the male character. Hes a dad and a multimillionaire who decides to help a woman in need. Although in some parts throughout the book it seems like he only feels sorry for Jane, it is easy to see that he feels so much more.

I dont know if this could be a good thing or not, but in most books its claiming how the male is a "player" and has women everywhere, yet it never seems like it. Well in this one, Todd actually asks out a woman just because shes attractive and wants to get Jane out of his head. It turns out to be good because the reader can see how miserable Todd is when he is with someone else.

Jane is a little weak at times, but overall a strong character. She just lost her father in a terrible accident which also left her incapable of doing the thing she loves best. She has some pride which is good, but also tells Todd her feelings straight out.

The bad things:

Cherry. Its good to see a 14 year old thats so mature. But that fact that she knows more about sex than Jane whos 25, its a little weird.

The ending. So abrupt. They part, and then all of a sudden come together, get married, and live happily ever after in about 5 pages. I just thought it was too quick.

The intimacy. In this book, Todd is not really a passionate caring man. The first encounter, if you read the book, is anything but caring.

So overall, its a different kind of story, its worth reading. It has its bad parts, but good nonetheless.

I adore Diana Palmer as a writer...although this book may not be from one of her best, it is worth reading .This book may start off as a typical texas rancher theme but it take a totally different turn...showing the struggle of a handicapped heroine and her love for a man she can't have.

While I collect Diana palmer books, I am the first to admit that she is not infallible, and while this is a good book, it is not up to her usual standards. It starts out promisingly enough, but for some reason the characters don't click. There was more emotion felt when the couple popped up briefly in Ms. Palmer's 'Coltrain's proposal'. Still, no palmer book can ever be considered bad, and I bought it simply to complete my collection.

Fun book for the beginning teacher or future teacher to read.

This book was one of the best books I ever read. It is really funny. I think the author did a really good job writing the book. This book is not about a submarine. It is about kids trying to sink their substitute teacher. To sink is to make him/her cry. Then the sub tells them a secret this is her first time as a sub. They think they can sink her because she is a first timer. And they come close. They flood the room, change names, they even hit her with snowballs. Do they make her cry? Read the book and find out.

You probably think this book is about submarine right? We'll you're thinking wrong. This book is about kids who try to make the substitute cry before the week is over. They mess up the chalkboard, they throw snowballs at her. Do they make her cry? If you want to find out you'll have to read the book.

Kind of slow. A great way to show kids kind of a different perspective to teachers and substitutes. Not something I would enjoy reading but a pretty good book.I'd recommend it to someone who likes reading realistic fiction.

This book has assisted me in my growth as an office professional and as an administrative assistant. I have been in this business for at least four years and I have so much to learn. Everyone in my organization can see the changes and transformations I have made with the tips and tools I have used in this book. Even when you think you know it all, there is still something to learn that did not know yesterday. To all who are not afraid of learning, BUY THIS BOOK!!

Thanks,
ME

I order the book and I started to read it as soon as I got it out of the box. I also ordered the Webster"s secretarial handbook. This book was a lot better and had useful information. The Valuable office professional was a bit confusing to read. The information was very pointless.

Burke's invaluable 'Valuable Office Professional' has saved our organization both the headaches of administrative training as well as the cost of on-going educational maintenance. The beauty of her insight applies quite poignantly to help increase the productivity of not only the office assistant but CEO's alike. Recommended for all who endeavor to succeed in corporate America.

This book was great! I have Michelle Burke's five core competencies hanging in my office to let others know how seriously I take my career. I have read the book several times and have found it extremely useful and motivating. Great Book for anyone at any stage of their career.

Idries Shah died in 1996. The latter part of his career is documented in Bashir M. Dervish's JOURNEYS WITH A SUFI MASTER. AMONG THE DERVISHES is about the early days. Both are unusual travel books, because in both cases the travels are orchestrated by well placed Sufis and the books written more to take the reader on a journey than to either tell about a journey or Sufism. Idries Shah's son, Tahir Shah, is writing similar books, the most recent: TRAIL OF FEATHERS.

This is an extremely enjoyable travelogue to remote outposts of Asian and Middle Eastern Sufism. As did another reviewer, I have some doubts as to the veracity of all of the anecdotes, and am suspicious that there is a hidden agenda to promote a somewhat cultish attitude towards the late Idries Shah.

That notwithstanding, the book is entertaining from start to finish, and provides glimpses into a world that is alternately attractive and menacing. (By the way, the incidents described in this book took place several decades ago, so the book will not necessarily provide insights into current events or current happenings within Sufism or the Islamic world.) Author O.M. Burke is an intelligent but pleasantly naive traveler, anticipating many of my questions and sharing many of my reactions to the unexpected twists and turns of his journey.

I just finished reading this book an hour ago, so with a very fresh memory I can recommend it, but only with a considerable caveat. It is a well written and very easy-to-read travellogue which can serve as a pleasant diversion or as a very superficial introduction to some selected basics of Sufi history & teachings. If it is indeed a true traveller's account then it is the product of some remarkable journeys. But somehow the travel account aspect of the book --& particularly the author's revealed persona --seemed far too glib & intellectual to be "real" for me and at the end I could only conclude that "Among the dervishes" was written primarily to serve a hidden function [product placement], namely promoting the "school", personality & teachings of Idries Shah. And as such should probably be taken with a major grain of salt.
If you know nothing about Sufism and want something light & breezy to whet your curiousity, then this is probably as good a book as any to start with. But if you want to really get to grips with Sufi history & teachings then you will have to dig much further [Anne Marie Schimmel's "Mystical Dimensions of Islam"; J.S. Trimingham's "The Sufi Orders in islam"; A. Bennigsen & S.E. Wimbush "Mysitcs & Commissars", etc. Note that Schimmel remarks --in "Mystical Dimensions" that "Idries Shah...should be avoided by serious students" (footnote, page 9)]

A unique book. Changes the way one thinks about geometry. The concepts and tools become second nature. I strongly recommend it for engineers who need differential geometry in their research (they do, whether they know it or not).

To give an example from page 134: "Vector fields that do not commute are called anholonomic. If two transformations commute, then the system would never leave a 2-surface. This obvious results is called the Frobenius Theorem."

Now after reading about the Frobenius Theorem elsewhere, few people would call in "obvious." Nonetheless, when you read Burke, you will agree. (Granted, it will not happen at first reading unless you are already familiar with the material. So you will read the book several times, which only adds to the pleasure.) Afterwards, you will be happy to consult the proof elsewhere.

Caveat: this book is not the place to go for a formal presentation. It may cause conniptions in the more ideological bourbakistes. Nothing should prevent one from also reading some of the excellent texts that present the material in a precise way, for instance those by Manfredo Perdigão do Carmo, Spivak, or Lang. Nonetheless, Burke is the one to go for the intuition.

The previous review is amazingly perceptive into Bill Burke's personality and thinking. He was not the most discplined writer or lecturer, (I had no less than 4 courses from him) but his insight and intuition could be amazing. I would recommend this book as a companion to something more traditional. If you are interested in General Relativity, which is what the book was suppose to be a precursor for, get Schutz or Misner, Thorne and Wheeler, or Wald.

Also, if you do want this book, get the errata from Burke's webpage,...is quite helpful.

I would also hearitly recommend Burke's best book: Geometry, Spacetime and Cosmology which is out of print. It is much physical and the examples are clearer. He taught english majors and theater students general relativity with that book.

I'm not a physicist or mathematician but I play one on TV. So I am more qualified to review a book on differntial geometry than either of the above professionals. This book is a very good introduction to all the hairy squibbles that theoretical physicists are writing down these days. In particular if you are perplexed by the grand unification gang then this book will help you understand the jargon. However, having only had physics when advanced vector calculus was enough to get by, it is a bit hard going due to the frequent errors and glosses the author makes. Burke gives a very hip and entertaining introduction to some of the most beautiful ideas in physics. It is enjoyable to read if you like sinking your teeth into something more rewarding than Ann Rice. I gave it a six rating because the errors and glosses are so annoying. I suspect Burke's puckishness is responsible; the book has no actual problem sets but he does work out problems that don't always work out. So the reader really has to work at understanding by correcting the possibly(?) intentional errors. Very sly of him. I am on my second reading and suspect that several readings down the line I will probably get the message. The book deserves loving attention.

***from David Burke, author of the "old" Biz Talk series***

Thank you all very much for your interest in my products! Please note that "Biz Talk 1" is now out of print, but I now have a NEW updated version called "The Slangman Guide to BIZ SPEAK 1," published by SLANGMAN PUBLISHING. Please do an amazon.com search for it and you'll be able to search through the entire book!

Happy reading!

"Slangman" David Burke

As a teacher of English as a foreign language at a private business college in Shanghai, China, I have found the Biz Talk series to be very useful. After one day of using it, students usually ask for more and want to know how they can buy the other volumes in the series.

I personally am not so enamored with Biz Talk-1. Sure, there is some useful slang inside, but the conversations presented are so chock-full of slang that they are not realistic. They also use some slang that is not commonly heard.

I'm not a big fan of the Western genre...just not something I ever got into.

however, I am a fan of the author, as he created my favorite character: Conan the Barbarian. So, I purchased this collection of short stories and loved them!!!

The men are based on stories that old timers who lived through the era told Mr. Howard back in his childhood through the 1930s, when he was a professional author.

The raw, rude writing style coupled with the action, gives these short stories memorable punch.

In this collection, many of Robert Howard's best westerns are presented for those who enjoy this great authors work. While in the same series is another collection of humorous westerns, those are, because of their lack of Howard's usually downbeat vision, inferior to these. The Vultures of Whapeton--the longest of the stories--is easily the finest, featuring intensely described gunfights, paranoia, and carefully interwoven, downbeat moral themes. Also, the ending is very powerful (though a somewhat lesser happy ending is also included). There are any number of other fine stories though, including crossovers such as The Man on the Ground, which effortlessly injects a sense of wonder and awe into what would otherwise be a traditional western revenge story. As with most of Howard's prodigious body of work, the writing is grim and crisply paced, making it not only quick but enjoyable. My sincerest hope is that some talented young director will read these stories and choose to adapt one into a worthwhile movie. Overall, this is one of the finest collections of Howard's work and is thoroughly recommended.

After reading dozens of R.Howard stories,from Kull to Breckinridge Elkins I was looking foward to this collection of dramatic westerns.For some reason they just didnt hold my interest.Unlike most of his other stories these seemed very dated.I realize they are seventy years old,but Howard's other writing seems to me to be as fresh as if it was written last week.There are a couple of good stories, "Law Shooters of Cowtown" and "Vultures of Wahpeton",but mostly its like the difference between watching a western like "Shane", and then watching "Hopalong Cassidy".I did like the three "spooky" westerns and I thought a poem "The Sandhills Crest", was excellent.If you are a Howard fan,like me, you might like this just to get a taste of his western work, but if your looking for exciting western action I would probably look elsewhere.

Peter Norton shows the way to Windows 2000 networking. I found this book easy to refer, understand the concepts and install. The fine tuning and upkeep of the server has been extensively shown.

Peter Norton is tradirionally a great "teacher". His use of everyday expressions to explain complex technological terms, his choice of illustrative examples and his selection of graphical illustrations make the book easy to understand. If you are like me, seeking to take an exam on the subject, then you will need other materials to supplement the areas that were not included in the book. The areas of Windows 2000 Server that were covered will be my only source of future reference.

I have normally associated Peter Norton with his computer disk utilities which have certainly saved my bacon a few times. O f late he has turned to producing high quality reference books

I was extremely impressed with this publication. Having read the companion book Windows 2000 Professional, this book follows on nicely. I guess it is not a book for beginners but it leads a lot of us lapsed network jockeys through detail we had messed with but not fully comprehended. There is a very good sections on IIS which is little understood by most and one on the Internet which everyone thinks they understand.This book gets to the heart of Internet networks, though not as comprehensively dealt with as in his Windows 2000 Professional, it concentrates on the server aspects. Security and management of the server are covered well.This is a must read for Administrators. In fact he and his co authors seems to cover everything very nicely with as much nitty gritty to make it a reference book to be held in the ready.

All in all this is a very good book for those familiar with networking but not so familiar with Windows 2000 Server. There is also enough detail for newbies to get a good understanding .

The price is very reasonable.