Grant Books

Inside this book is geniuine information on how to avoid the classic errors of grant-writitng. Lloyd Fricker has lots of experience and he gives you the honest truth on what reviewers are looking for and how to serve it up! As a real bonus, there are some classic spoofs on science and the whole funding culture. All-in all a delightful read, with some invaluable pointers to the funding-challenged!

This is an excellent if highly irreverent review of what actually goes on at study section. Old hands will recognize parodies of nearly every aspect of those wonderful moments in the Holiday Inn conference rooms, while novice grant applicants will enjoy trying to decide if a given section is meant in fun or whether they actually should describe whether the pipetting is done with the left or the right hand. The opera "Il Destino Di Grant Application" is definitely the centerpiece of the work- even my Italian mother-in-law enjoyed this one when it first circulated on the internet, and I find it intriguing that a Google search of the author reveals that this is his most highly cited work. Go figure- you'd think it would be "Cloning of the Zucchini Opiate Receptor in Mr. Potatohead" (also included), wouldn't you?!

It is no coincidence that in the entire canon of grand operas that have stood the test of time, there are countless tragedies but only a handful of comedies: Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, Rossini's The Barber of Seville, Donizetti's The Elixir of Love, The Daughter of the Regiment, and Don Pasquale, Smetana's The Bartered Bride and Verdi's Falstaff [also, if your standards for humor are a bit lower, add to the list Wagner's Die Meistersinger and Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier]. It is easy to make people cry, but hard to make people laugh. The cornerstone of this uproariously funny and ultimately uplifting debut paperback volume by Lloyd Fricker, Ph.D., is the synopsis of an opera entitled Il Destino di Grant Application, attributed to Giuseppe Linguini. Full of knowing ersatz arias such as "Non hypothesiso, non preliminary dato" and "Papa è un nincompoopo," this comic opera created quite a sensation in the scientific community as it was passed along via fax and e-mail in late 1998/early 1999. I myself forwarded it to a few hundred of my closest collaborators via a list-serve message with the subject line "Non-ask-o, O-tell-o", in which I described the pseudonymous author as a "grant opera" genius with "perfect pitch."

Indeed, Lloyd Fricker has the gift, influenced by Woody Allen, Dave Barry, the Marx Brothers, and Mad Magazine, of transforming the tragedies of life into humor which will resonate particularly with any scientist (make that all scientists) who has ever despondently wondered "is any of this worth it?" when faced with yet another ill-reasoned, nit-picky rejection notice from a funding agency. The book, aptly titled, is best read (and re-read) in small doses, maybe on a plane ride to a study section meeting, or during a break between finishing one's own application and waiting for the bureaucrats to sign off on it. As is the case with most great humorous writing, Fricker's prose (and occasional poetry) is informed by instantly recognizable bits of sincere, serious source material that can be appreciated by both insiders and outsiders - who may actually pick up some useful insights from the exercise. Dealing with funding agencies is the "necessary evil" correlate to what we all would really rather be doing, the research itself. Is there anything as absurd as having the adjective "excellent" be damning to a grant application? In that spirit, I highly recommend this "outstanding" book to all graduate students, postdocs, and faculty who are engaged in the scientific enterprise.

I'd like to read a review of this book but can't seem to find one. Can anyone help me? Thanks.

Reading this book was like watching A Hard Day's Night and recognizing the launching of an era. I have read all of Budd Hopkins' books, which are quite enjoyable and/or upsetting. Now I have discovered the granddaddy of all alien abductee regressive hypnosis transcibed sessions books.

Fuller gives the reader the necessary background information, then offers the original (edited for relevancy) transcripts from the psychiatriist's files. What a great thing it is that these sessions were tape recorded. The Hills weren't the first to be taken, but they were the first to go public, although unwillingly.

It is amusing in hindsight to read the doctor's repeated attempts to get Barney to admit that the entire encounter was a dream - if not his dream, then surely Betty's, which he somehow absorbed. Barney wants so much to believe that it was, but under hypnosis, he can only call it as he sees it.

The Interrupted Journey is a classic of UFO-related literature. It will remain fringe material so long as the UFO reality is under wraps, but when the buggers are finally outed, this book will go mainstream and become required reading.

The very first written testimony about an encouter between human beings and alien civilisation can be found in the bible (the anciant testament is very rich in details if read and interpreted in a logical way and not in the "spriritual-traditional" way). The second written testimony, and the last one so far, is the "interrupted journey". The "interrupted journey" is according to me much more than a book. It's a real testimony which goes beyond the common question "do you believe in UFO", because a UFO is "just" an unidentified object and it doesn't say much. In the Betty and Barney Hill's case, it goes far beyond the "simple" unidentified flying object. There is a real encouter and a conversation between a human being and a civilisation which is obviously NOT from our world, which is obviously NOT from our planet. And it means A LOT. During her conversation with the alien crew "boss",she was told while she was staring at the map, that some planets (or stars) where regularly,frequently or occasionaly visited by them. It also seems that commercial exchanges between alien civilisations themselves are quite common. How about us, habitants of the planet earth, what do we represent for those civilisations? I haven't heard so far that we're making trade with extra-terrestrials. But it doesn't mean that they have no interest in our planet. We could even easily suppose that alien civilisations have visited us thousands of times and not only during this century but for many,many centuries.........and probably more. In conclusion, if we admitt that our planet have been visited for ages by aliens like the ones of "the interrupted journey", then we may ask ourselves "In which ways the alien intervention in the history of the Manhood has influenced our believes and in which way the alien intervention will influence the future of the Mankind".

Even I, a REH fan, was wondering how a boxing yarn could be any good. I was expecting just a bunch of in-ring action with the only differences from story to story being the fighters and who won. Far from it. This book starts off with an essay entitled Men of Iron, where Howard asks the question: "What freak of nature makes an iron man?" I personally didn't find the essay all that interesting==but the rest of the book makes up for that. The first story is The Iron Man. In my opinion, it's the best in the book. While I read it, I couldn't help but think of the B and W movie Champion with Kirk Douglas. Iron Man has got one whopper of a storyline. Next up is They Always Come Back. This is the second story in the book, and the second best. There's a few nice twists in this story, though. Finally, there's Fists of the Desert. After reading that story, I really felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. That one is the third best of the bunch. This is a hard book to find--even in paparback--but if you see it, pick it up--you won't be disappointed.

This is a must for all Howard fans,especially the newer ones who may have only read his sword & sorcery stories.Iron Man is about boxing pure and simple;the men who took untold punishment in the ring before usually winning their bouts by knocking out their fatigued opponents.Howard wrote this using some of his personal experiences following the fight game in Texas and has based some of his later and well known characters like Conan and Kull on the fighters in this book.They all share the same characteristics of toughness,incredible vitality and endurance.Iron Man is a good guide to how Howard thought and how he shaped his future characters

Robert E. Howard was great fan of the ring. He loved the action and the shear power of the men who fought between the ropes. This respect for manly strength shows in every story he wrote, from his westerns right up to his most famous creation, Conan. Here in this book he writes about the real thing. These are men here. Real men! Howard was a life time fan of boxing and these stories are based on men he actually watched trading blows in the ring. If you think these men are larger than life, think again. For each fictional character found in this book there was a real man behind the character. Real men lived the lives presented here. While it is true that these are fictitious accounts it is also true that boxing really was once like this. It was brutal. It was bloody. It was all about fighting. The boxers of today, with their polish and their fancy footwork would not have had a chance in the boxing ring of old. Only an iron man could get through a match in those days. An iron man was a man who didn't duck and dodge but, rather, took each blow to come his way and never faltered. An iron man could take any amount of punishment and still win the fight. An iron man was the toughest of the tough. In this book you will find four such men. These are the men who inspired the great barbarian, Conan. Read this book and enjoy, but beware. No matter how tough you think you are you will feel weak and helpless compared to the giants found in these pages. This is Howard at his best. This is Howard writing about that which he loved most. This is The Iron Man!

Excellent examples and the author understands very well the didactic process when you are learning the java language alone at home !

A friend had attended a Java programming course and the Beyond the Buttons had been the book used on the course. He said he found it very useful and encouraged me to borrow it. I had some fairly limited programming experience ( Cobol ) but was a long time ago and I was a little apprehensive about attempting to learn Java.

The book more than exceeded my expectations. One of the things I particularly liked were the short concise code examples that show you how various programming concepts work in a program . The book does not claim to be an introduction to Java programming, but, with my outdated knowledge and half forgotten experience I had no trouble in gaining a pretty good understanding of what Java is about and how use it.

I am a lecturer at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa and I am very impressed with this hands-on approach to learning Java. After being at a loss for a Java textbook that can be prescribed for students that will explain concepts to 1st year students, yet that can be used by 4th year students, this book is a must. 2007 will be the third year that we are prescibing this textbook. The textbook has very clear and direct explanations enbabling the reader to create an image in their minds of object oriented programming. From classes and objects, to Applets and Files, the content is mapped out well and there is a common thread that runs through the book. Whether you are a first-time Java learner or an experienced programmer wanting to get a handle on complex concepts, this book will be of benefit to you. It is a textbook that will be used over and over again. There are two chapters on threads which can be tricky, yet this textbook explains the concept very well. What is very benficial for students is the fact that there are "Test Yourself" questions at the end of each chapter. At the end of the textbook there are three appendixes which provide an overview of some new programming features, give an explanation of counting systems and provide some insight into floating-point values. Overall it is an excellent book and I can Highly recommend it. The author, Robin Knox-Grant, is also very approachable and happy to explain and assist wherever possible.

Rodney Whitacre succeeds in writing a thorough, scholarly commentary on the Gospel of John that serves readers in a devotional manner also. Whitacre combines top notch insights with eloquent, simple writing based on extensive research on the topic.

This is a book that will prove a satisfactory resource for research, and you will find you will not want to put it down. I think it works great for academics and/or a personal devotional guide to complement Bible reading no matter what your background or familiarity with the Gospel of John.

I am presently on page 456 of this book and don't want it to come to an end. It is a thoroughly fascinating review of this Gospel. It has given me new and exciting insights into John's words and descriptions of Jesus Christ and the people who surrounded Him, especially His relationship wioth "The Father".

Outstanding book with both intellectual and pastoral care insights. Very effective and useful for bible studies on the Gospel of John.
Very detailed exposition of each verse while keeping the whole of the Gospel message intact. Recommend highly. If you can only have one commentary on the Gospel of John, this is the one to get.

This is the way I like my porn...just the details, little of the story. If you watch gay porn videos, you probably know that there is a great deal of "footage" wasted on what alleges to be "story line and plot development". Most video viewers want the action and nothing else. JUST THE SEX, a complilation of written sex scenes, delivers just that,i.e, the action and nothing else. Chi-Chi LaRue or the men from Falcon should convert this book into a series of "screenplays" and create one of the best Gay Videos ever. As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the BEST COLLECTIONS OF GAY EROTICA I have ever read. It has become a pillar, you'll pardon the pun, of my library. If you are looking for a group of gay porn stories that will have you heaving with anticipation, moaning with delight, and passing over into the ecstacy of an outrageous orgasm, then this is your book.

I'm quite fond of this type of gay erotica and this is one of the best I have ever read. It's very arousing, interesting and exciting; you won't be disappointed unless your looking for more of a "story".

Some authors you're very familiar with, as well as less recongizable names, all do an extremely HOT job of giving us stories that are usually no longer than 4 pages! You "literally" get thrown into the middle of the action with absolutely no setup. It's an incredibly hot approach to the genre...and there's plenty of pig sex for those who just want to get dirty.

This is my favorite Bible! I got it when it first came out and have bought other Bibles since, but always return to this one. You just can't beat it!

I am extremely satisfied with my recent purchase of this Bible.

The references to different aspects of Scripture are easily accessed. My particular interest of Scriptures relating to Israel, it's people and it's land and Biblical prophecies relative to Israel are there at your fingertips.

My only criticism is in relation to the `political correctness' of Mr. Jeffery's own writings in enclosed articles supporting areas of Scripture where he uses the term `Palestine' out of it's correct geographical and historical context.

Palestine being the regional name given to Israel and adjacent areas after the suppression of the second Jewish revolt by the Roman Emperor, Hadrian, in AD135. The original name being `Syria Palaestina' which eventually became anglicised into `Palestine' and which was subsequently replaced by Israel upon it's rebirth in 1948.

Mr. Jeffery uses the term `Palestine' incorrectly in some old maps and also in one area relating to Old Testament prophets who were around long before the term `Palestine' ever existed.

If you can live with this, or amend it even, this will be an excellent Bible to possess. In all other ways it is to be highly recommended. The ability to easily access so many different aspects of the Bible is remarkable and such an aid to understanding.

One practicle reason I like this bible is that it contains in concise form the important topics of the end times. The notes are focused on prophecy so you are not reading a book with one hand and looking up the verses cited with the other. The bible contains numerous articles, maps, charts and illustrations. The articles are particularly helpful and include topics such as: The Battle of Gog and Magog (I finally understand wshere this battle falls in the end time events), The Antichrist, The Seventy Weeks, The Tribulation etc.

I have many bibles and this is one of the ones I use regularly.

Josh Melrod is a gas and a grove. This cat has serious chops when it comes to writing a story. He just may be the next great american writer no one has ever heard of. Tara Weigh is to non-fiction what Celia Cruz was to Salsa. Give these artists a chance and they will amaze, I promise you that.

At first glance, it might be mistaken for an old Farmer's Almanac-which is a good thing. One of the things that kills me about lit mags (and I read a lot of them) is the way they all wind up looking the same, with a few notable exceptions. This is one of the notable exceptions-not just the look of it, which is beautiful (hand done illustrations grounded firmly in American printmaking traditions)-but page through and you'll find surprising, challenging stories by names you know and names you don't. The first story, by Bob Olmstead, is fantastic-it sets the bar pretty high and the other stories, for the most part, clear it. I'm looking forward to the next issue.

Aimee Bender is one of my favorite writers and I loved her story. She has a wicked sense of humor, but it was touching and sad too. Also really good were the stories by Jonathan Tell and Robert Olmstead (very different from his stories in "River Dogs"). I enjoyed the book as a whole and thought the illustrations were cool and unique.

I stumbled across Leaving Alaska in, of all places, Brookings, Oregon. After reading it I was surprised I had not found it in the libraries in Alaska. Maybe it is there and I missed it. If it isn't, it needs to be. I've spent many years in Alaska and am a lover of words and Grant Sims is a phenomenal writer writing about a subject I love; Alaska. I was in great admiration of how this writer puts words together, such an eviable talent. And on the subject of Alaska, he told it how it is from the heart, not the politically correct stand point. Hurray for you Grant Sims! We need more straight shooters like you. Leaving Alaska is more than just a book about Alaska, it is an important history. I was so enthralled with this book and this author that I sought out more information and was saddened to learn that he has left this planet too soon. He gave us just a glimpse of himself in this book, leaving me yearning to know more. What a writer. He has become one of my heroes, one of the great talents I admire.

"Leaving Alaska" is an excellent example of an auto- biography. Grant Sims has a woderful an unique writing style with descriptions of a time and place that puts the reader right into the story. Any would-be-writer should read this incredible account of one man's experiences and memoirs of a beautiful and rugged land. J. Edward Gladden

This complex, brilliant author passed away March 15, 1998 in Chico, CA. He left a number of works unfinished and it is hoped that they may be published in some form. This book is an insightful look at the "romance and reality" of Alaska. A good read for anyone who has ever thought of going to Alaska for an adventure lifestyle.

This is a very good book on the Overland Campaign of 1864. It is the story of the great campaign between Lee and Grant. The author writes very good character sketches of Lee, Longstreet, Ewell, and Hill. He also tells about the lower level officers of the Army of Northern Virginia. He does show bias against Longstreet who he does not think very highly of. Grant fans will not be too happy with some of the narrative. But it is a book about Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia not Grant and the Army of the Potomac. For the flip side of the coin I highly recommend Bruce Catton's "Surrender at Appomattox" which is an excellent account of the Army of the Potomac in these campaigns.

An excellent work that in my opinion captures the essence of the Confederate failure. Dowdy debunks the myths of Grant the butcher and the subsequent "Lost Cause" explaination that the South lost the war due to the overwhelming superiority of Northern numbers, industry, weaponry and supply. Dowdy places the blame with Jefferson Davis, Braxton Bragg, the CSA War Department and to some extent on P.G.T. Beauregard. The decentralized defensive strategy adopted by Davis, led to the inability by General Lee and other CSA field commanders to sufficiently concentrate the forces necessary to defeat the Union armies.

The author writes a simply marvelous history of the great generalship of an almost god-like Robert E. Lee.
Read how sheer numbers, not superior leadership, allowed U.S. Grant final victory.
Although I think this book is out of print, I would highly recommend any history or Civil War buff to search hard for it. They will not be dissapointed.