Curtis Books

The book is set out in readable sections, and is very informative. Many questions may not be answered, but the basics are there. Most of the book assumes that all cardiac issues are due to coronary artery disease, though some are not. A worthy read, in all.

Heart Attack: A Cleveland Clinic Guide by Curtis Mark Rimmerman M.D. (Medical Director for Cleveland Clinic Westlake, Lakewood, and Avon Pointe) is the no-nonsense official guide from The Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, selected as the best Heart Center in America according to U.S. News & World Report's annual survey for the past eleven years. Numerous individual case stories clarify solid information about heart anatomy, telltale signs and warnings of risk to the heart, the patient's role in managing heart disease, how to choose the right heart doctor for one's needs, and much more. Of particular importance are the heart disease myths that Heart Attack thoroughly debunks, such as "if I have no symptoms, I'm not at risk", "heart disease begins in adulthood", and "smoking only hurts the lungs/cigars are 'safe'". A solid, fact-filled resource thoroughly accessible to lay readers, and highly recommended.

Jilly Milford has lived in her house all of her life, and she's quite content there, even knowing she has a ghost in her backyard. She's not afraid of him or anything it's just that she's never really thought much of his presence. She's even given him a name. However, Jilly's quiet life is soon interrupted by a new next door neighboor who seems destined to turn Jilly's life upside down, but not in a good way. He's interested in the ghost that haunts her backyard, and Jilly wants to protect the ghost, after all she'd made a promise to him to do so. Jilly finds something in her dad's shed that shines some light on "her" ghost and also has her next door neighboor secretly trailing her. Who is the ghost that she's so used to seeing? And why is her next door neighboor trying to get her on TV? This book is a must read!!! I found myself wanting to know more with the turning of each page.

What would you do if you had a friendly ghost haunting your backyard? And what would you do if your best friend had suddenly become popular with the boys, while you couldn't get the one boy you like to even look at you? But worst of all, what would you do if a geeky boy, who thinks he is living in a science fiction movie, moves next door to you and is interested, not only in you, but the ghost too? Jilly has to deal with all of that and much more in this book.

Readers who like authors such as, Joan Lowery Nixon and Lois Duncan will love this book full of mystery, romance and supernatural.

This is an outstanding examination of life in a camp as experienced by a number of refugees. The characters in the story attempt, in a moving way, to lead normal lives, but are shaped by their confined situation and react in ways that we cannot foresee. There is mastery in the quiet, smooth telling of the tale, in the colourful, vivid dialogue. Its conclusion is thought-provoking and entirely gripping.

Like Moshin Hamid's THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST, this book presents us with the voice of someone on `the other side' - in this case a dispossessed Muslim from somewhere in Central Asia whose finds that he cannot be neutral in today's post 9-11 world. Despite trying to live a normal life, he cannot escape the fact that he is a refugee and that he can never be accepted by society around him.

This is a story that leads the reader into the mind and world of a man trying to make the best of his life but somehow being forced by fate towards desperation and violence. We are given an insight into the daily routine of the refugee centre where the main character resides - the pettiness, the strain of living at close quarters with strangers, the tensions and the growing pull of Islam. I don't want to give too much of the plot away here, but there is also a love story in there - a poignant portrait of a love which tries to break the boundaries of culture and ethnicity (we are given to understand that she is an American Jew, he is a Central Asian Muslim and the story is set in Catholic Lithuania) - a struggle which echoes the larger struggle going on in our world today between religions, cultures and political systems.

There are many levels on which one can read this sensitive and shocking book - a simple tale of a man undone or as a metaphor for something larger and far more tragic and dangerous for humanity. Some of the details may be too close to comfort - but who ever said that literature should make us feel good about ourselves? If good books should make us question things about the society we live in, then this is one of them. Read it for yourself, but be prepared to be feel - whether it be pity or fear or downright outrage!

Lee's book in a nutshell: 1. He lost his business, his girl left him and his father died. 2. He learned to live from "the inside out instead of from the outside in." 3. In forty-four short, very readable chapters he tells readers how we can affect everything that happens around us by letting our conscience direct us instead of our mind and our body. The term "conscience" as he uses it has less to do with choosing what is morally right or wrong than being true to yourself rather than to those values imposed mostly by ads on TV. The task begins by making three lists: What we are unhappy about. What we are unhappy about (and can alter). What we want to change.

There is something very refreshing about getting this from a regular person instead of a Dr. Phil or Anthony Robbins. It's not some 12-step program we plug into but heartfelt advice from a friend who has gone through the same things. What it lacks in polish (and I find the rhyming poems pretty amateurish) it gains in personal credibility. For example, I love how the author has been playing the guitar for thirty years but only recently gathered enough courage to perform publicly at an open mike. We all have things like that. For me it was being on stage in a play I had written. He informally covers such topics as "Attitude," "Emotions" (good and bad--I especially like his idea of a mock funeral for someone who has done you an injustice), "Karma," "Money," "Happiness," "Love" and "Moving On." Many of the questions at the end of the chapters and the exercises he asks us to do--such as rating qualities you want in a mate--are thought provoking.

I found the things that I responded to most were ones which corresponded to my own experiences: calls of support I received when my own business went under, feelings of inadequacy after my divorce, joy at meeting a challenge that was important to me and no one else. We do need to put our inner-self on a treadmill. Life is more real than an infomercial on how to get rich, and the means to re-program ourselves are readily at hand. What worked for him may not work exactly the same way for you, but you have this feeling that we're in this together, and that's important too. In talking about finding a mate Lee Curtis could also be speaking about his reading audience with words we might also use about him: "I feel that when I am old and on my deathbed, I want to know that I spent my life with my best friend, someone who stuck with me during good times and bad. Someone who I could tell anything to. Someone who loved me and didn't complain about every little thing." Words that make life great and "let good times roll."

In a world where negativity is abundant comes a book that reminds us that life really can be great. Where one man has taken the opportunity to be real and for the reader to be able to identify with him is what this book offers. It is a timeless journey through life for any generation. It gives us the tools to recognize our strengths and weaknesses and to be confident and happy with the person we are. To be able to acknowledge the things in life we can fix and to have the wisdom to accept the things we can't and not to worry ourselves about it. Anyone could pick up this book and realize that they are and can be living a life that is far better than their current existence. There are so many self help books out there written by doctors and book smart people, but nothing that opens the door to true common sense and vulnerability that this book offers. I will be sharing this book with all my friends and family and hope that they realize the wonderful life that we can create for ourselves as i have realized!! It is a true book from a true person who we all can relate to!! I'm so happy I was given the opportunity to read it and to grow from it! You will be too!

Mentalism has long been the most misunderstood magical realm in Rolemaster Standard System. Arguments about the relationship between mentalism and psionics has been raging on the net and in private venues for years now. Essence, being the traditional magical discipline and channeling, the traditional power of clerics and other followers of divine beings, are both firmly entrenched in the minds of players and GMs alike. They are well burned into our imaginations and into our literature, and therefore, easy to grasp, by player and gamemaster alike.

My first reaction upon picking up this book was, "Wow, how many pages is this thing?" The answer, 158 pages, makes this the largest companion yet. Its size is no surprise. Upon leafing through it I began to realize just how ambitious this book really was.

It starts with your typical "What is Mentalism?" section, followed by a treatment of the standard mentalist archetypes. All of this is pretty old hat, though necessary to help unmuddy the mentalism waters. It then launches into a variety of subjects, many of which only loosely connected with mentalism itself.

It seems the authors used this book as a vehicle by which to cram in every rule system they could, dealing with the mind or mental subjects. Acceptable? To me it is, though some tastes may differ. A list of the primary subjects is as follows:

New professions: Very relevant. Every companion seems to need a new slew of professions, and this one adds (or reintroduces) the Seer, Astrologer, Enchanter and Armsmaster. Of all of these, the Armsmaster is by far my favorite, though the other professions will probably appeal to players with a less chivalrous bent. Regardless of your tastes, these professions fill important niches in the spell casting professions, niches that were previously unfilled.

This is followed by training packages, another must for a Rolemaster companion. Of all the work, I found this section the most disappointing (though it reintroduced the houri, an amusing character type). I don't know what I wanted from trainin packages, but this book failed to deliver it. I think it's just that none of the training packages struck my fancy.

Next is the treatment of magical ritual, a subject that is beginning to bore me. It's necessary, however, and it was vehicle for the author's attempt to introduce rules for mental combat. A private conversation with one of the authors revealed that, the published rules are scaled down from those the author submitted, and they are skeletal at best.

The next section was included to satisfy the Internet community. For years now, debates have raged about the nature of illusion in Rolemaster, and many people aren't satisfied with the official stance. This section therefore treats both sides of the argument, allowing gamemasters to use whichever one appeals to them most. It is good that this treatment was placed into print, and I suppose that this book is as good as any.

The next section deals with insanity. Though this might seem out of place at first, mentalist lists are the only real place where insanity is inflicted. This is a necessary addition to Rolemaster. It supports the gritty realism of the game, and I'm glad it was there.

This is followed by the section on Languages and Lore. Now, out of all the sections in this book, this has the least to do with mentalism. It's a good subject, though. I've never been satisfied with the way that any game handled languages, not even Rolemaster. This new treatment of languages, though not the most accurate, is a far cry from anything I've seen. The authors strived for a balance between realism and playability, and I think they found a happy medium.

Since mentalism deals with divination (at least with the professions in this work), the next three sections are dedicated to divination of various sorts. Therefore the book treats diving the past, present and future, helping the GM deal with difficult subject like astrology and the future. These subjects can be difficult for a GM to handle, and though this doesn't set any rules in stone, it tries to give the GM enough information to make an informed decision.

Next, you'll find specific treatments of astrology and tarot. I really felt these sections did nothing to help me with my campaigns, though the information might be a good starting point for creating your own divination systems. It was just too Earth specific to help me much.

For you Robert Jordan fans, I'll bet you'll feel a certain kinship with the authors of this book. Before the final section, consisting of spell lists, you'll find a treatment of dreams and dream travel. I liked the ideas here, but I wanted a lot more. It made me wonder whether the space constraints were cracking the whip on the authors during this section. A good broad treatment of the dream world would have been very nice, even one that we throw out to create our own. The single page on dream worlds simply wasn't enough for me.

My conclusion? This was a great book. It's become a permanent facet of my campaigns. Out of all the things that Rolemaster has to call its own, mentalism is the one that makes Rolemaster the most unique. It's a good thing for the game that this book was written. It takes that aspect of Rolemaster which is most unique and explains it, expands it and helps us make ours. It patches several holes that were left open in the Rolemaster system and does it with style and quality.

If I had to recommend a game, it would always be Rolemaster, and although there have been products in the past that I've felt have fallen short of the quality we've come to expect from ICE, this is not one of them. I couldn't necessarily recommend this book to most people playing other game systems (this isn't true for all Rolemaster books), but if your play Rolemaster, this book is a must.

The Mentalism Companion gives a very good listing of extra spells, professions, and training packages for the Rolemaster system. The professions and training packages are pretty cool, such as an Enchanter profession and the Dreamweaver Training Package. There are also some interesting new abilities, adrenal quick draw is a favorite of mine, it allows you to ready your weapon instantly. Overall this is a nice companion to have if you are into mentalism.

This book is crazy. Meet Mr. Chickee again but this time the kids go on a different mission outside of Flint. They enter a wacky world to find Rodney Rodent and save Mr. Chickee's world called Ourside. There are new characters and spoofs on famous author JK Rowling. Learn where the quadrillion dollar bill originates. Silly silly humor that will have your 8 or 9 year old busting up. "Bow wow yippie yiyay." Read the book to find out what this means.

Christopher Paul Curtis's fast-paced sequel to MR. CHICKEE'S FUNNY MONEY, Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission needs no prior familiarity to prove a fun adventure, and stands well alone for any elementary-level collection catering to grades 3-5. Here Steve, Russell and Richelle are in a different universe with Mr. Chickee when their dog Rodney Rodent vanishes and they try to find him before the Oops-a-Daisy clock hits zero. Zany characters and events pack a fun leisure read.

" Smoosh " right through Maddie, Thatch went. It is THE MYSTERY OF THE DISAPPEARING DOGS.
THE MYSTERY OF THE DISAPPEARING DOGS is about a dognapper in KickingBird Lake. The Shelbys are on their honeymoon in KickingBird Lake and they are staying in the twins' house. Their Saint Bernard Disappears! Alix , a girl from town. Also gets a reports about a missing dog. She and her other dog, ( with the help of Robbie, Beka, and their Saint Bernard, Thatch) set out to find the dognapper!
The author's message is that you can ask for something instead of stealing.
This book is the best book that I have ever read.

Having read all of the books in the Ghost Twins series, this is one of the very best. Dian Curtis Regan once again crafts a stunning display of a fairly basic and simple children's book

O.k. I didn't read this book. But I DID read Princess Nevermore.. And I'm here to tell you to do the same. It is da bomb!

This book was cool. It's below my reading level, but when titles catch my eye, I get them anyway. Beka is reading a book about a ghost haunting a place and then they actually SMOOSH into the book, where they have to find out who the ghost is before the kings' thirteenth birthday.

Not only is Operation Charisma a thorough review of many aspects involved in the development of charisma, it is also a highly insightful manual on the underlying events that occur in human interaction. There is wisdom in the numerous examples which illustrate life situations where a more charismatic approach would have created a big difference. This book has truly helped me overcome my shyness and lower my anxiety level when addressing others.

This was a very enjoyable read, and did a fair job of covering the aspects of charisma--and how to raise our levels of it. Charisma is a real thing. It is an eviable attribute of actors, athletes, musicians, wealthy business people and others. Are we born with it? Possibly--however, I, as well as the author believe each of us can increase our level of charisma. This book was chock-full of very useful information. My only complaint was, after each example the author threw in an anecdote. An example or explanation of the topic presented is an excellent way to write--when done tastefully. The author embellished each and every topic discussed. The only problem with writing in this manner is, it sidetracks the reader rather than focusing on the topic. After reading hundreds of self-help books I have come to the conclusion that the best of their genre focus on direct principles rather than stories about the author or others. It is very true that with a high level of charisma each one of us would accomplish more than we could imagine. I applaud the author on addressing this topic--and do highly recommend this book.

These adventures all stand the test of time, still being funny and terrifying after all these years.

The other reviewer did a bang up job of detailing the contents. The Amazon review is wrong, however. HIL Sector Blues actually appears in Extreme Paranoia, and is only casually mentioned in the introduction of Paranoia Flashbacks.

The price here on Amazon is well worth the many adventures contained herein, chosen for fun value rather than any other reason. These are the best adventures of the previous editions, upgraded to Paranoia XP.

If adventures are what you need, I'd definately get Flashbacks before any other book in the XP line.

Paranoia XP: Flashbacks is compilation of eight classic Paranoia adventures, slightly updated for Paranoia XP. In addition of these classic adventures, book also contains three `Code 7' mini-missions from Acute Paranoia box set and new (and quite dull) orientation mission for freshly shanghaied Troubleshooters. For those who are wondering could they use this book with their Paranoia 2nd edition, answer is simple 'yes'. Though you need to convert characters for 2nd edition rules all by yourself, most other conversions in this book are minor and the adventures are very close to their original counterparts. Most of the original artwork is also there, but in case of some of later released adventures, some of the original artwork has been replaced with new one.

FULL CONTENTS:
* Alpha Complexities
* Das Bot
* Me and My Shadow Mark 4
* Robot Imana 665-C
* Send in the Clones
* Trouble With Cockroaches, the
* Yellow Clearance Black Box Blues, the
* Vapors Don't Shoot Back
* Three 'Code 7' mini-missions
* Pre-Paranoia orientation mission

But should you buy it? It depends. If you are seeking good compilation of older Paranoia material, book is goldmine. If you are searching something for one-shots, book is also very good choice though some of the longer adventures can take even three gaming sessions to complete. But if you don't really care for pre-made adventures, there is probably nothing here that would interest you, though most book's adventures have terrific ideas for killing Troubleshooters.