Cheung Books

It is really a very good book from IBM about DB2-SPL. In our company we bougth a lot of DB2 book, but this is the very best.

from basics to tricks

Has been extremely helpful. Good information

The book describes IBM's Procedural Language, which runs on their db2 servers. It is not a general purpose language, like C or Java. Rather, it is tied directly to db2 and IBM's implementation of SQL. But within this context, the book explains the expressive power of PL. It shows at length how you can write stored procedures, triggers and functions in PL. The level of detail and the cited examples should reassure you of PL's capability.

But why even write business logic code at the database layer? There have been other books on n-tier application design, which call for the locating of business logic in a middle tier and not at the database. The authors' rejoinder is that while that makes for an elegant design, practical experience shows that often, crucial logic needs to be at the database. This reduces networks traffic and can heavily improve perforance. Hence the need for PL, or something like it.

Be wary of the book's claim that PL lets you write "portable application logic". It is portable only between instances of db2 running under linux, unix, Microsoft Windows or IBM's operating systems. When you write embedded logic in PL, you are also embedding yourself or your company into db2. Which may indeed be fine by you. But just so you know.

If you are a developer or DBA who is new to DB2, I would highly recommend this book to you. Both administration and development topics are covered, helpful best practices and tips are included, and illustrative examples are used.

The fundamental DB2 concepts and the different DB2 tools such as the Control Center are introduced in a very straightforward and easy-to-understand manner. This allows DB2-newbies to get fully up to speed on DB2 terminology and functionality, while serving as a gentle refresher for those who might have prior DB2 experience. The book achieves a good balance of topic selection and level of detail. More advance topics that are covered are explained in a manner that most novices would comprehend and in enough detail to be useful.

The prime focus of the book is on leveraging the ease-of-use and autonomic capabilities of DB2. If you are a developer not wanting to memorize database and/or SQL command syntax, you will particularly appreciate this book. The book shows how most common administrative tasks can be very easily performed using the GUI tools and Wizards provided with DB2. Ease of application development is demonstrated in both Java and Microsoft .net environments. An easy and intuitive introduction to DB2 SQLPL is also provided.

Overall, I think that if you are new to DB2, or need to learn the essential concepts/features needed to develop and/or administer DB2 quickly, you will be very pleased with this book. It is a perfect starting point for introducing the most important concepts, features, and tools. As you gain more experience and familiarity with the product, a more advanced book can be obtained.

I didn't know anything about writing DB2 stored procedures until I bought this book. After reading it I have written several procedures to aid in data migration. It is well laid out and has all the necessary information. The best part is that you don't feel like you are reading a technical book.

For children 3 years old and up.

As Faith the snail relates in this simple, pleasant tale of transformation, "As the world turns, so do you. When you change for the good, you change the world too."

Faith is the wise mentor of Anew, a young caterpillar who feels growing pangs of doubt and uncertainty. Though Anew dreams of standing atop rosebuds and viewing mountains from the sky, he is also afraid. Through further dreams and Faith's counsel, Anew learns that "thinking like a caterpillar does not work for butterflies." Following the flow of his own inner yearnings, Anew comes to embrace the mystery of change.

This charming story provides reassurance to young readers who are just learning to navigate their own changing world. Vibrant watercolor illustrations from award-winning artist Aries Cheung add humor and a lovely dash of zip to Anew's adventures.

Growing up my father and I had a favorite children's book that we read together every night. My father passed away last year but the memories of those moments are still with me today. I had been searching for a similar story that I could share with my children. Now I have found it. Wings of Change is a wonderful book that helps to explain the process and importance of change in life. I found that this story does a nice job of communicating this powerful lesson to children and adults alike. I highly recommend this story to anyone who is looking for a special way to connect with their children and help guide them through life.

Wings of Change follows the adventures of a very happy little caterpillar named "Anew." Through a series of dreams and with the help of his friend and mentor, Faith the snail, Anew learns to accept his approaching metamorphosis, discovering that, "thinking like a caterpillar does not work for butterflies." Franklin Hill's inspired and entertaining analogy shows young readers that they need not fear the inevitable changes within their own lives. Aries Cheung's artwork is perfectly suited to this charming, insightful, and very original picturebook story.

Wings of Change presents the children's story of a contented caterpillar who is afraid to become a butterfly. This simple metaphor reflects the insights that Dr. Franklin Hill has gained while facilitating progressive changes in education. Dr. Hill specializes in planning new educational facilities. He is well acquainted with the effects of change on the young and the young at heart. Dr. Hill created this beautiful story to illustrate how the process of change, though sometimes scary, can lead to positive transformation. The rich illustrations by renowned graphic artist, Aries Cheung, are exceptional and colorful. Confused by the changes he feels are coming, Anew the caterpillar looks to his friend, Faith, for guidance. Faith reassures Anew that one positive action can change the whole world. Anew chooses to trust Faith and his own dreams. Anew finds happiness as he transforms into a vibrant butterfly. He can finally view the meadows from the sky! Dr. Hill's excellent book Wings of Change will provide peace and optimism for young readers learning to navigate their own changing world.

Back when he designed his first school, Frank Hill did all the right things. He talked to the faculty members about their programs and goals. He studied all the literature about the future of education and educational technology. He met with the school board to discuss its vision for the district. Then he integrated his research into a building that was the school of the future, primed and prepared for all the educational changes and progress everyone had outlined to him with such enthusiasm.

The educators took one look at the plans and declared they didn't like them.

"I thought, 'what went wrong?'" Hill said. "Then I realized it wasn't the design, it was the changes it would require. People are afraid of change. It's human nature. So I had to figure out how to assuage their fears."

That was 15 years ago. Hill, an urban planner and president of Hill and Associates of Bellevue, has learned quite a bit about the fear of change and what to do about it; enough that he has designed or redesigned more than 60 schools, each time matching the design to its future, not present needs and, each time, running into people who thought those changes were a fine idea, until they realized they were the ones who would have to adapt to them.

Hill decided the easiest thing to do would be to simply give them a book on overcoming one's fear of change. So he wrote one.

All Ages:
"Wings of Change" (Illuminations Arts, Bellevue, illustrations by Aries Cheung) is a book for children, actually. But its principles can apply to any of us. In it, a good-natured caterpillar named Anew is quite happy with his life. Then his friend Faith, a snail, explains that changes are afoot. Anew doesn't understand. But Faith reassures him, "As the world turns, so do you. When you change for the good, you change the world, too."
Anew starts having odd dreams. In one, he decides he can fly. But caterpillars can't fly so crash he does to the ground. Then he dreams he has a butterfly's wings, but a caterpillar's body. He tries to fly again and again, he crashes. Then he dreams has a butterfly's wings and body, but when a bird tries to catch him, rather than fly, he runs like a caterpillar and gets snagged in some thorns.

Thinking like a caterpillar does not work for butterflies, he realizes. Faith explains that the dreams were preparing him for a very big change. Instinctively, Anew starts spinning his cocoon. A few weeks later, he emerges as a butterfly; but not just any butterfly. The new Anew has prepared himself for this, the biggest change of his life. The strange new experiences of flying and seeing the world from the sky are fun, not frightening. While he enjoyed being a caterpillar, he enjoys being a butterfly more.

The fear:
A simple parable, "Wings of Change" incorporates a number of the principles Hill developed for overcoming fear of change.
First, he found, everyone is apprehensive to some degree about change. After all, not all change is good, Hill said. Consider the changes brought about by an earthquake or a heart attack.
As a result, people tend to respond to the good change in three general ways. Some pick up the latest trend and throw themselves into it with blind enthusiasm. The problem with that is they often have no vision for the changes they are making. Like Anew, they fly because they think they should, not because they are prepared for it.

Next, people often want to change, but can't get rid of their old behaviors. They may have butterfly wings, but they still have a caterpillar's body.

Finally, a lot of us end up with all the latest technical and intellectual developments in our fields at our fingertips, but we still think it terms of the status quo. We can't integrate our style with the new circumstances. We have a butterfly's body, but we still think like a caterpillar.
What to do?
Hill found the first step in adapting to change is to recognize how the change will make things better. If you are dealing with someone else's fear of change, you do that by involving the person in the process and showing how the change will be relevant to their goals and activities. Then you demonstrate how they can use elements of the change to accomplish more of what they want to do, Hill said.

Sounds fairly simple. But you're dealing with fear, which is both complicated and irrational. So a fair amount of patience is a good idea.

Dealing with children's fear of change is actually easier, Hill said. Childhood is a continuum of change and kids often sense when a change in their lives in imminent. When it is imminent, encourage the kid to view changes as growth and improvement, Hill said. And, help the child make the change within a safe environment so he or she can exercise control of it.
"Fear of change is often the fear of loss of control, and for good reason," Hill said.

Find your focus:
It is a legitimate fear because change is often thrust upon us, whether we are prepared or not, he said. When that happens, the key is to concentrate on your personal intentions; what will make your world better, even when the world beyond it is in a state of confusion and flux? Often you can adapt elements of the change swirling around you and make them work for you, Hill said.

"Wings of Change" is Hill's first book. He has three more in mind, all of them children's books. He recently finished "Wings Within" about a spiritually self-actualized snail, and is working on books three and four. He won't reveal their plots, other than to say they involve bees and butterflies.
"I write children's books because if I can make things clear enough for children to understand, I just might understand them myself," Hill said.

I enjoy American short stories, and I feel that reading this book opened my eyes to new perspectives. For example, I had not thought about the relationship between Asian and Latino immigrants in the 1940's. The themes are fresh and varied and it's possible to read the stories in whatever order suits you.

Hisaye Yamamoto was not a prolific writer, but her output of fine short stories spans decades. Central themes include assimilation and the loss of traditional cultural values, troubled marraiges, and, of course, the shameful internment of Japanese Americans during WWII. As a writer who was raised in the culture and who originally published many of these stories in Japanese American publications for a largely Japanese American audience, she produces uniquely authentic accounts of a lifestyle that has largely disappeared. Here are the farms, the oil fields, the New Year's celebrations, the dusty internment camps, the tragic generation gaps, the hopes, dreams, and loneliness of a people who are inclined to remain quiet about personal matters--these stories present a fully developed portrait of the Japanese experience in American and its consequences. Highly recommended.

These stories are beautiful, sensitive, thoughtful, and occasionally painful in their depiction of the condition, not only of Japanese- Americans, but of anyone who lives slightly off the beaten track. She writes with kindness, humor, and insight. I especially liked "The Legend of Miss Sassasagawara" and "Wilshire Bus," as well as the interview with her. Her stories remind me of Faulkner's and Flannery O'Connor's. If she had written more, I am certain she would have been better known.

I read 17 Syllables for an English class, and it will be one of the books that I won't sell back. My favorite stories were Las Vegas Charlie, Legend of Miss Sasagawara, and 17 Syllables. Many of the stories describe Asian characters trying to find their niche in America. Themes include generational and cultural conflicts, addiction struggles, and financial insecurities. Yamamoto seems to take a minimalist approach to her writing, which encourages one to reread her stories in order to extract more information.

"Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories," by Hisaye Yamamoto, was first published in 1988. The revised and expanded edition adds 4 more stories, for a total of 19. Yamamoto was born in 1921 in California to parents who were immigrants from Japan, and hers is one of the most remarkable voices in 20th century United States literature. These stories originally were written or published between 1942 and 1995, and thus represent many decades of Yamamoto's literary career.

Her style is a blend of delicacy and determined passion. The book as a whole strikes a balance between tragedy and tenderness, and her best stories are quite moving. Yamamoto's stories mainly have Japanese-American female protagonists, and offer glimpses into many decades of Japanese-American life. Some topics include troubled marriages, crippling addictions, racism, and relations among the many ethnic groups of the U.S.

Some stories deal with the experience of Japanese-Americans who were incarcerated in concentration camps by their own government during World War II. Other important themes include the human toll of World War II on those Japanese Americans who lost family members in the war, and the cultural shift between generations in Japanese-American families.

The four new stories in the expanded edition are "Death Rides the Rails in Poston," a murder mystery; "Eucalyptus," about a woman's experience in a mental facility; "A Fire in Fontana," about a Japanese-American woman's connection to the African-American community; and "Florentine Gardens," which centers around a visit to a military cemetery in Italy.

Hisaye Yamamoto's work is highly regarded by many, and many of her stories have been anthologized (which is how I first read her work). It is wonderful to have her stories brought together in one volume; I feel richer for having read "Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories." One final note: as a fitting complement to the title story of this collection, I recommend Richard Wright's book "Haiku: This Other World."

I ordered this book to complete the set, half thinking I would use it only once. On a whim I took it to an art gallery/party (fun casual blast) and set it on the counter while I worked so guests could read it. Almost everyone stopped to check it out, and all said it was very close or dead on accurate. A lot of people wrote down the name and asked where I found it. Take this to a gathering, it will be appreciated.

When i first heard about this book,i was only mildly and atrabiliously interested in this latest horoscope book on the topic of 'personality-divination'.I didn't know what to think about it.I thought that it was just some kind of a door-stop for soothsayers. I saturninly investigated whether it was nonsense or something profound.This forecasting birthday book is amazingly accurate indeed! I was impressed by the foretelling essense of what one could expect for one's birthday.For the astrological based predictions,this book is metaphysically of high eminence.The tarot,numerology,color-codes and wiccan postulations are quite rational and persuadable.I analyzed all the days within the book,and was awestruck by the revelations for anyone's date of birth.This is not trite 'Horoscopus-Pocus'!I think this book was established and based upon the evidence ,of many other past authors, through the years gone-by.In the years to follow,this book will gain in popularity,i would attest to this.Simply because it will be proven orthodoxically correct for astrology scholars on dates of birth and their personality associations.I can't think of another birthday-divination tome around ,that could match this one yet.

This book was inspirational from the very moment I picked it up and turned to my Birthdate of November 18th, it described me perfectly, even nailing my choice of careers perfectly, and even knew about the fact that I am an inspiring writer as well, how refreshing to pick up a book and it tell you so much about yourself that you knew, but just wanted someone else to reaffirm for you. Perfect fit in my case! It nailed my wife's birthday as well. We plan on taking it with us to our family get togethers during Christmas and New Year's to see how accurate it is for our other family members. This book is highly recommended to all, although I recommend buying it at Barnes and Nobles, where you can get it for 20 bucks brandnew, instead of the 33 dollars that Amazon will charge you.

Theresa Chueng's book is brilliant! Her chart of my birthday and my family were spot on! For each of the 366 birthdays of the year, Chueng's book provides you with a birthday "theme", your challenges, people you are drawn to by birth date rage, your best and dark side attributes. You get a great synopsis of Love, Health, Career, and your Destiny. She also provides you with your sun sign, ruling planet, birth date ruler (planets), the Tarot Card related to your birth date (major arcana), your favourable numbers and your lucky days, lucky colours and your birthstone. I was very excited reading over my chart. My Higher Self made me feel the greatest joy, reaffirming myself to my Self. Enjoy the book! In Love and Light,

I have been to many trading seminars and spent thousands of dollars on my trading education. None of the so called "experts" have ever mentioned anything like what I learned in this book. For someone like me, it's taken my trading education holes and totally filled them! I would highly recommend this book to any novice trader looking to improve his results in daytrading the E-mini S&P or Russell Futures contracts! I can't say enough about how much it could improve your results.

This book is very inspiring. Mr. Cheung demonstrates hardworking can work in trading that trader need to spend time after market to research and practice in order to keep up with high performance during trading. After I read it, i purchased three more to send to my friends. It's beneficial and must read for traders.

great book with new idea. I haven't found a more valuable book in recent years. Mr. Cheung (the editor) gives out his trading secrets of using NQ to trade ES. In the past, I have seen traders using ES to trade Dow, bond to trade ES etc. But using NQ to trade ES is the first time. I think the editor has put in great effort in his own trading through a scientific approach. It's inspirable and I strongly recommend traders at all levels to read this book

The book starts out with the good trading advice that seems obligatory
these days. The big difference here is that it is presented in an easy
manner, and offers definitive, concrete rules to ensure adherence to
that advice.

The concept behind all the methods is the relationship between the SP500
and Nasdaq E-mini future contracts. These methods are the basis of the
system rated so highly in recent years by "Futures Truth," which thought
the concept unique for a system. Evidently, it is not so new, as Gary Smith,
in his book, "How I Trade For a Living" relates an anecdote of a
highly successful trader that used the difference between the SP500 and
the Dow.

As successful as the system is today, we know the markets are dynamic,
and the strategies as given will not hold up in the future. Also, no
effort is made to equalize the differences of the two index future contracts
in making comparisons, and constant point values are used as trigger points
in the strategies rather than some proportional method.

Another drawback is that the book is loaded with filler, mainly in the form
of constant unnecessary listings of five minute data in the examples.
And the book obviously has been written to hype the sale of related methods
and the seminars.

Still, these index future relationships add another dimension to trading
and should be explored. The ideas in the strategies have proven value,
and the rules in the strategies can easily be improved upon.

this book centers on the life of Lue Gim Gong. he leaves his home and family to make a better life for all of them in america. the narrative switches between gong's mother, his patron in america, ms. fanny, and sheba, a daughter of slaves who comes to work in ms. fanny's house in florida. i enjoyed the different points of view and the glimpses into each woman's life, but Faith, this was SUCH a depressing read. it seemed to me that for every piece of good fortune these families experienced, they suffered yet more loss. from the prejudices of the superstitious clans in china, to those against asians, african americans and women, reading the stories of these women made me appreciate my own life, and made me realize how very much i take for granted.

I had a lot to reflect upon after reading this book. I was most surprised by when I realized about 3/4 way through that the book was essentially a biography. I wish the book jacket had highlighted the fact that Lum Gim Gong was a celebrated Chinese horticulturalist in Florida, and the author used her extensive research into his life to create this book. I would surmise that since all of his journals were destroyed, she moves the viewpoint to other characters and writes a novel to better draw the reader into the story. The book has one drawback in this hybrid form--it doesn't have a climax, as one would expect in a novel--but continues on a little long in the end to get all the biographical details in.

I loved the descriptions of life in a village in China, the New England town, and the Florida orchard. Sometimes the frequent change of view point between these very different societies feels abrupt, but it highlights the cultural disruption experienced by the characters as they move between these worlds. A strong underlying theme of the book is the dichotomy between how we treat people versus plants: 19th century society forced a separation between people of different races and between genders but the plants are improved and made stronger when they are combined and crossbred. This theme is made more poignant with the realization that the author has a Scottish American father and a Chinese mother and has probably lived with some of the discrimination described in the book.

Wooden Fish Songs is a fascinating story that weaves together the worlds 19th Century China, New England and the post-Civil War South. McCunn's extensive research makes this true story come alive and her talent makes the three women who tell the story real and believable. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Chinese literature and culture. This book portrays the difficult life not only for the Chinese immigrant in America, but also for the family left behind. I recommend this and any other of McCunn's works.

I received a copy of Wooden Fish Songs as a gift from my father, who is a familial descendent of Fanny, and the New England people with whom Lue Gim Gong lived in America. Many of my father's recollections about his relatives were given to the author as the book was written, and helped to maintain the story's factual basis. It is a moving historical account of the difficulty and pain encountered when east/west cultures came together, when differences in peoples were terribly feared, and when cultural mores and expectations within the family were not to be challenged - even for love.

This is an incredibly enjoyable series of stories about an excellent cast of characters, but I'm going to focus on giving information on this particular collection and its contents:

The book contains issues #1-12 of Young Avengers, plus Young Avengers Special Edition #1, in which Jessica Jones interviews the members of the team (this story is even placed in the right chronological order, between issue #8 and issue #9). These thirteen issues comprise the whole "first season" of Young Avengers.

Compared to the two earlier hardcover/paperback Young Avengers collections ("Sidekicks" and "Family Matters") this volume is slightly larger and the images' scale is increased somewhat. It's not a huge change, but it's a nice enhancement.

EXTRAS: This volume includes several bonus features not present in the earlier collections. (1) An introduction by comics writer Jeph Loeb, a friend of author Allan Heinberg. It's two pages long and has several spelling errors. Not impressive.

(2) At the back of the book are six pages of Heinberg's early conceptual notes for the series, including many details that changed as he refined his ideas: character names, personality traits, even the gender of Hulkling. It's great stuff.

(3)Heinberg's rough-draft script for the series' opening scene in J. Jonah Jameson's office. Very interesting in that it shows Heinberg's gradual change in habits from writing for television to writing for comics.

(4) A two-page interview with Heinberg conducted by Marvel's editor in chief, Joe Quesada. Good stuff.

(5) A one-page interview with Heinberg conducted by Tim O'Shea of Silver Bullet Comics. Also good.

(6) Ten pages of Jim Cheung's early character designs, conceptual sketches, unused cover ideas, etc. Also some photos of Young Avengers action figures and some promo art. Very nice.

In all, it's a pretty cool package for someone who's really into the Young Avengers. If you already have the earlier collections, you're not missing much by not getting this, but if you don't own copies and are looking for the best collection, I'd say this is it.

The only things lacking, I think, are the letters pages from the original comic issues. They featured an ongoing debate about the sexuality of two of the YA characters--a testament to a ground-breaking, award-winning feature of this series and these characters--and it would have been great to preserve that sometimes heated, often overwrought conversation. I would have paid $10.00 more just for that. Including them in a future deluxe collection would be a fantastic move.

All in all, a very good collection of a great series, perfect for a library collection or an avid fan. Many thanks, Marvel!

If you queer and your here and your geekier than your sheer, Buy this book. This is the first 12 issues of Allen Heinberg's Young Avengers and its done brilliantly. Buy this now, you wont regret it. And it has the best new faces and characters Marvel has to offer in a long LONG time.

The idea for Young Avengers alone could have been a complete disaster. Veteran television writer Allan Heinberg however injects so much imagination and innovation into Young Avengers though, that the final result is something that is surprisingly spectacular, and Heinberg's love of Marvel lore is apparent here as well. In the wake of Brian Michael Bendis' Avengers Disassembled arc, a mysterious team of young superhumans, dubbed the Young Avengers by the media, make their presence felt. There is Patriot, modeled after Captain America and wearing a uniform similar to Bucky's; Iron Lad, a traveler from the future who has united the group and harbors a huge secret; Wiccan, a magicly powered individual who appears to have abilities similar to Thor, but instead shares a surprising heritage with a former Avenger; and Hulkling, a shape-changing powerhouse whose own heritage is a shocker you won't see coming. This handsome hardcover collects all twelve issues of the series, as it begins with the Young Avengers facing off against, and eventually teaming up with, Captain America, Iron Man, and Jessica Jones; before taking on Kang the Conquerer, as well as losing a key member, only to gain two others, and the return of the Vision. The second storyarc deals with Hulkling's heritage, and the interstellar war that erupts because of it, culminating in a team-up with the Young Avengers and the New Avengers. The art throughout this hardcover collection features great work from Jim Cheung; whose efforts are undoubtedly the best to be found here. There's also work from Andrea DiVito, and special guest spots from Michael Gaydos, Jae Lee, Bill Sienkiewicz, and industry favorite and classic Avengers artist Neal Adams. All in all, this long overdue, complete hardcover collection of Young Avengers is an excellent addition to any Marvel fan's library, and if you missed out on the series and were wondering who those kids were running around in Civil War, this is an excellent pick up.

I just read Alan Heinberg's Young Avengers for, oh, I'd say the millionth time. I have to tell you it gets better and richer and with every reading.

The great thing about YA is how brilliantly Heinberg confounds your expectations as to what this book is going to be. When you first hear about the characters he introduces, they don't sound too promising. Hulkling? Iron Lad? A young Vision? It has the potential to be the worst kind of derivative drivel.

But Heinberg takes what could have been a purely commercial attempt to profit off these established names and creates characters that are truly fresh and unique. Yes, they all have ties to the existing Marvel Universe, but the true nature of those ties turns out to be very different than what you may have expected. In fact, the reveals continue well into the second volume of these stories, and they just get better and better.

The plotting and pacing of Young Avengers is fantastic - block out some time when you first pick it up, because you won't want to stop until you've read all 13 issues.

You'll also love the snappy dialogue - Heinberg's writing reminds me of some of the best episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The Young Avengers speak in a language that's frank, slangy, and often very funny - how can they be so clever even when fighting baddies? Their jokes are like Spider-Man's, only not lame.

Heinberg show tremendous courage in many of his choices here. One of the characters with the most potential, who is set up as one of the series' leads, comes to a surprisingly unfortunate end. Another turns out to be getting his powers from a different source than he or she claimed - and an illegal source, at that.

I also applaud Heinberg's decision to allow two of his male characters to fall in love. They discover their feelings in a way that seems natural, and without the usual angst that young gay characters are forced to suffer, especially in this age where MTV serves up as many queer images as Logo. No, these boys are more concerned with being grounded for using their powers than they are about being persecuted for being gay. Refreshing!

Plus, the boys' relationship sets up one of the best jokes I've ever read in a comic book - the offhand explanation as to why an openly gay superhero might not want to go with "Asguardian" as a codename.

I tend to read comics more for the story than for the art, but Jim Cheung leads a stellar collection of artists in a book that's a great feast for the eyes.

As an aside, my 7-year-old son was pretty Iron Man crazed, especially during all the hype for the new movie. But after I showed him Young Avengers (he's too young to read much of it, but he loves the pictures) he now proclaims himself "Iron Lad!"

I hope Heinberg keeps bringing us more adventures of this team - he has at least one reader who'd be only too happy to grow up with these as his favorite heroes.

Scott Sherman, author, First You Fall: A Kevin Connor Mystery

Brian Michael Bendis' "Avengers Disassembled" event was, all in all, a pretty poor story, apart from the unrelated conclusion to "Thor v.2" written by Michael Avon Oeming, which was utterly brilliant. However, it is fair to say that most of what spun out of it was incredibly valuable, the main exception being Bendis' own "New Avengers" series, which, while a sales hit, has never clicked with me; the AD reboot, however, gave us Ed Brubaker's Captain America, Warren Ellis and then Daniel and Charles Knauf's Iron Man, (belatedly) J. Michael Straczynski's Thor, and Allan Heinberg's Young Avengers, which has a seemingly awful title and premise, but utterly fantastic execution. If you are skeptical, give it a shot.

This first arc, titled "Sidekicks" (something of a misappelation in my opinion, since the characters are not sidekicks, unlike, say, the original Teen Titans), is just about the perfect origin arc for a superteam. Heinberg effortlessly weaves old continuity into his story in fascinating ways, carrying on from the fallout of AD better than Bendis ever did. The Young Avengers first appear in New York, consisting of four heroes whose appearances are modelled on Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and the Hulk; understandably alarmed, the real Captain America and Iron Man investigate, bringing along reporter and former superhero Jessica Jones (another Bendis creation); and two girls, Cassie Lang (daughter of the deceased Ant-Man II) and Kate Bishop (daughter of a rich family, and the only character without a connection to an existing hero) decide to look for the team, and insist on joining. Hanging over all this is the impending arrival of Kang the Conqueror, arguably the worst foe in the history of the Avengers (he physically conquered the world once, and blew up Washington, although that's rarely mentioned, since it's largely been ignored since). I won't get into much detail on the plot, but sufficed to say that by the story's end the team will have gone through the ringer, and come out both triumphant and sorrowful. Next comes a two-parter (drawn by guest artist Andrea DiVito) that continues the struggle between the Young Avengers and the adult New Avengers over their right to exist, and exposes a shocking secret at the root of one character's powers; after that, a sort of 'secret origins' special detailing the lives of the team before they became superheroes, with several artists; and, finally, a four-part (originally meant to be six) epic involving the Young and New Avengers, the Skrull and Kree Empires, and Hulkling's newly-revealed backstory.

Heinberg's writing is brilliant; witty, dramatic, poignant, and insightful; he takes basic character types and brings them to life. He is matched by Jim Cheung on art, whose beautiful work (albeit with a somewhat limited array of facial types) brings the characters and their world to vivid life. The only flaw on the part of each is how slow they are, but that's not a problem in trade (although it will be when you become addicted to the series, as I did, and are then confronted with the paucity of published adventures for this team). Guest artist DiVito is also high quality, although it is initially hard to see anyone but Cheung draw the team (and I'm not especially fond of DiVito's female faces, which have a sort of pinched quality). A panoply of other artists make small contributions to a special issue detailing the characters' origins, which generally work quite well.

The only flaw to be found is that, as of now, this is the end of the Young Avengers' adventures, and, when they return, it will be to a Marvel Universe that has changed heavily around them, affecting them in the process.

This is the ultimate dream book. This book is huge and there is so much information in it. It is the only dream book you will ever need.

Well, did you ever have these dreams that you just KNOW mean something? I mean, they're different than the jump-around nonsense dreams. Every so often I do, and I thought it would be fun to get this book and check themout myself. (I used to ask a girlfriend who was pretty good at dream analysis. Now I do both--look it up AND ask my girlfriend. Then I look to see how the 2 analyses match up. Where are they the same? And did she come up with something I missed?) Anyway, it's fun. Sometimes dreams throw something up in our face that we need to address in some way.

With all that said, this is a pretty impressive book with some good information. It is a full sized, hard cover 678 page book. We are talking some serious information here. Of course, you should probably read the whole book, then play with it by looking things up. No, I did NOT read the whole book. Here's how I use it:

Let's say you have a dream. You are walking across a bridge. Under the bridge is lots of water and the water is rather violent. You walk across the bridge without fear and you make it to the other side, unhurt.

OK. So, you go to the index in the back of the book and you look up "bridge and water". "Bridges" appears on 5 pages, so you look them up and read. "Water" appears on about 16 plus pages, depending on what you were doing with the water (traveling on it, drinking it, etc.). You start reading and see if it makes sense. Of course, this is the dollar store analysis I'm giving you right now. You may have more stuff in your own dream, and when you go to the page, there are often other questions.

So water symbolizes emotions and opportunities for enrichment. In Greek mythology, river crossings are often associated with death or a journey into the unconscious. Crossing a bridge indicates an ability to move forward and achieve the success you long for. It represents your underlying strength to cope with difficult challenges. The bridge is a potential link of your past with a possible future.

So, if I was analyzing this dream, I might conclude (depending on any additional circumstances in the dream) that I was moving forward into the future and was quite capable of handing anything (emotions, etc) that came up in my transition, even if the "waters" became turbulent. And not only was I CAPABLE, but I successfully crossed over the bridge/achieved the transition. At this point, I might look at other factors in the dream and see if that analysis makes sense to me based on what is going on in my life.

Don't buy this book if you're a worry wart and you are gonna read a bunch of negative crap that will depress you.

Do buy this book if you're interested in analyzing your dreams to either learn more about yourself and/or just for fun.

If you want a dream analysis book, this one has a heck of a lot of info!

This book is arranged in an A to Z format so you can dip in and out and I liked that. The entries are all fascinating and what is really good is that you get both sides of the story - sceptic and believer - leaving you the reader to weigh up the evidence and make your own mind up about the psychic world. My only issue with the book is that it could have benefitted from a few illustrations to break up the text, but apart from that it's a book I shall refer to again and again over the years.

I purchased my copy from onespirit.com book club. At the time of release and still today, this book was only available via One Spirit and Amazon UK as primary places to buy.

I have really enjoyed this book. The scope and coverage is very broad and well articulated. There is a tremendous amount of information here. I have considered that it would have been great, if the entries were further developed, to include the aspects of "Ultimate Reality". However that would turn this book into at least a 5 volume set. Thus, making it into a more powerful resource. It has been stated that this book presented several points of view in each of the articles, based on what is generally accepted by others. Leaving the reader to choose for themselves, what they consider to be; within their individual belief window. I agree with this point. I have made some notes in my copy on different articles that would not be correct, based on the laws of Ultimate Reality. It's a great place to start your research. Then one needs to take that information and research further on. Hopefully one day soon, someone will put out a mutiple volume, definitive set, that addresses all these things in great detail. Showing what is truely so under Ultimate Reality vs. what is "thought" to be so, by the beliefs of the populous, within the physical plane of our world. I will treasure this book and keep it in my library for future references.

This is a must have for anyone interested in the paranormal. This book has anything and everything in it. I'd be surprised if you couldn't find what you are look for in this book. It's huge and it is packed with so much information. It's setup very nicely so its easy to find what you are looking for.

HUGE reference book on spirits, paranormal, psychic stuff, stones, crystals, people, places, things, and whatever else. A full sized book, 850 pages of material. If you can't find a little something about it here, I'd be real surprised. (Example: "table-tilting," tipping or turning is the crudest form of communication with the subconscious self or with extraneous intelligences. Yet tables have been associated with divination and communication with spirits since antiquity. . .") It goes on to tell you some history. We have a 20-page tiny font index alone for you to look up whatever topic you need to. It's written in such a way that you can either just read your way through topics in paragraph form, like Crystal stuff, or you can look up a specific item, like Tai Chi. A ton of info for the money, in encyclopedia type fashion.