O'Neal Books

Wonderful collection of architectural drawings held by the University of Virginia including Thomas Jefferson's renderings of the University. This is a catalog of an exhibition held in 1969. A depiction of the drawing is on one page with a description on the facing page. The book is 7 1/4" x 8 1/2" and done in black and white.

I read pretty much the entire book. There're quite a few careless mistakes and many typesetting errors. The authors don't seem to be good writers. But this book may be my on-shelf reference that comes in handy. I wish they had worked harder to re-write most of it in Java1.1 when 1.0 was outdated. We all blame Sun for changing too much from 1.0 to 1.1. But some authors (e.g. D. Flanagan who wrote the Nutshell book) didn't complain and re-wrote their first editions.

Beyond Business as Usual does a good job of pointing clergy and vestries to the idea that the work is not the work, it's in building community and relying on God to transform individuals and communities. It's a short read, and a quick one, good to share with others. Some of the resources are usable/teachable right away (such as the Four Leadership Tasks everyone should know).

This is a review of the components only as I am yet to play a game but having read the rules it looks like it will be a great game.

Box - Approximately the size of a standard (A4/Letter) piece of paper (a bit smaller maybe) and about 35mm (1.5 inch?) depth. The box is well made, seems very sturdy and has great artwork. Inside every thing is well organised. All the tokens (Heroes/Villains, Crew, terrain, objects) are bagged and housed in a separate smaller inner box (which also has artwork) along with the rule booklet and separate adventure booklet. The Hero/Villain and Crew cards fill the other section along with 2 dice. The playing board - same dimensions as the box (it's one piece and doesn't fold) - is stored underneath. Rate: 4 out of 5 stars.

Rule and Adventure booklets - Both booklets are the stand out for me. The rules are 30 odd pages, and 24 pages of adventures (1 page each) and Hero/Villain backgrounds. Both are very readiable with plently of clear examples in the rules. Each has reasonably thick paper, bound in comic book style covers. The interior artwork and lettering is appropriate to the theme - comic books of the era - is of good size and clarity. This seems to be a step up from a self published production. Though the interior pages are not glossy, the paper is thick and seems very durable. Rate: 4 out of 5 stars for presentation.

Hero/Villain and Crew cards - again printed/presented appropriately to the theme. The Hero/Villain cards are larger than a standard playing card, and the Crew cards smaller than the Hero/Villain cards fall somewhere between. Both are printed in clear bright colours (Bright not glary) with good size font - akin to the booklets. The card stock is of good thickness so should resist folds and bending. I do however fear that the lack of a gloss coat will mean the cards will wear perhaps quite quickly. Due to their unusual size it will be difficult to obtain card protectors. However, others have stated the cards are actually very durable, still being in great condition after after several plays. Rate: 4 out of 5 stars for presentation, 3.5 stars for durability.

Heroes/Villains, Crew, terrain, and object tokens - Ok it's not 3D but you know who is facing who. They are on par with the cards described above. You get plenty of red and blue stands to clip the Hero/Villain and Crew tokens into. It's also nice to get several baggies to hold them all - unlike some productions where you have to provide your own. Rate: 3 out of 5 stars.

Board - A single piece of cardboard covered in black material underneath with the unusually small playing surface on top. The playing surface has a gloss like finish and will stand up to more wear I suspect than the hero cards but mine was turning up at one corner - I suspect I might have to find another solution to keep the corners down. It's of good thickness - thicker than your average - but extremely light - almost like foam. Rate: 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Dice - You get 2 nice sized (no wizkids tiny pebbles here) die, one blue, one red. What else can I say? Rate 3.5 out of 5 stars if you must have a rating.

Components Overall: 4 stars out of 5.

Would I pay $70 USD (including postage to Oz) again? - most definitely. Of course this might change once I actually play it but judging from others who have played and commented, I doubt this view will change.

It is a great book that covers many areas of CDL secrets. However, to pass the test you need more. The interactive tests CDL COMMERCIAL DRIVER'S LICENSE MANUAL offered by AplusB Software Corporation on Amazon, would be a perfect addition to this book. The information presented visually is received and processed by the brain faster than only a written message. People think much faster than they can read, so their minds tend to wander during a reading. The CDL COMMERCIAL DRIVER'S LICENSE MANUAL, visualised software application helps keep you focused on the information.

CDL: Commercial Driver's License Manual

Illustrators and artists frequently use photos as reference for their work and that's how Esther Bubley came to shoot, in June 1952, a recording session in Hollywood. Her graphic designer friend David Stone Martin asked her to provide reference shots from this session to use for his distinctive illustrations for Clef and Norgran LP covers.

The book has the majority of Bubley's work from that session (she took 314 shots) and nicely all the neg prints, too. The photos are very informal and casual, no creative framing or dramatic compositions of light and shade as one would expect from Francis Wolf, William Claxton or Herman Leonard but only because they were basically made for reference not reproduction and it shows.

Despite the ordinariness of the photos what makes this book possibly rather special is that you can look at the players and listen to the recording at the same time. The Charlie Parker Jam Session has been issued several times on CD (I can recommend the five CD set: The Complete Norman Grantz Jam Sessions) and at sixty minutes it has some knockout performances, just listen to Johnny Hodges and Charlie Parker on Jam Blues for instance.

The book is a rather unusual landscape shape (fourteen inches by nine) published in France and reasonably designed with plenty of whole page photos but rather annoyingly just a bit too much empty white space where photos could have been bigger. At the back is a spread with David Stone Martin's photocollage of the players and based on this the final illustration used for the 1952 LP (and now CD) covers.

I recently reviewed a book about Bubley's work, 'On Assignment' (ISBN 193178857X) where I came across a reference to this book. Her photojournalism work is superb, from a Greyhound bus journey in 1943 for the Office of War Information to assignments for the Ladies Home Journal or Life magazines through the forties and fifties. The 'Charlie Parker' session is nowhere near her usual high standard but is unusual because of the number of photos taken and that they normally would not be published.

***FOR A LOOK INSIDE click 'customer images' under the cover.

Beginning with Mardi Gras and ending with Easter, this book has 41 days of trivia, crafts, recipes, activities and colorful stickers (not reusable). While this is a Christian book, it is not a devotional. It is colorfully illustrated with stickers to use to countdown the days. Many activities relate to the Easter trivia (e.g., hot cross buns), others are almost science experiments (growing grass in an egg shell or basket). This is a good source of ideas to make everyday of Lent a celebration.

A unique insight to one mans quest to breed salmonids & conserve the necessary habitat to keep these special breeds flourishing in the Pacific Northwest. A good guide to Salmonid biology, life history & management. Also a good environmental read for those interested in the early research into saving the Pacific Northwest habits needed for all living thing not only Salmonids. I feel Mr. Hine's book should be read by those who want a good insight into the early(1940's-60's) environmental & conservation worries surrounding the Pacific Northwest, but still be applied to today as well.

Using the Virgin Islands as its backdrop, JUST AN AFFAIR is a love story about putting it all back together after being hurt and humiliated. Caryl Walker is an attorney turned sea captain trying to escape the trauma of an affair gone bad with a married man. Having put that relationship behind her and vowing herself to a year of celibacy, Caryl's life takes an unexpected turn when she meets the handsome and successful Joshua Tain just weeks before her year is up. Joshua is in the Virgin Islands taking a much-needed break from the manipulative dealings of a corporate raider trying to take over his company. His itinerary puts him on the Elendil, a chartered boat on which Caryl is the captain. As she takes him on a tour of the Islands, they become infatuated with each other, making her vow of celibacy hard to continue.

As Joshua's vacation ends, both he and Caryl are secretly hoping their liaison was more than just a fling. An unfortunate diving accident leaves Caryl with short-term amnesia and a man from her past trying to make sure it lasts long enough for him to get what he wants. Alexander Thorne has divorced his wife, lost most of his financial standing and has promised to make Caryl a part of his life again by any means necessary. Joshua is just as determined to have Caryl too. He is confident that her memory will return because of what they shared before the accident. When Alexander and Joshua meet, who will remain standing once the dust has settled?

Eugenia O'Neal has constructed an interesting tale of love about a protagonist in a non-traditional role and she's managed to lace the novel with some of the environmental and social concerns of the Virgin Islands. She's created an interesting cast of well-developed characters, each contributing a unique twist to the story. I enjoyed this well-rounded novel for its tender view of love conquering all and making me aware of the societal issues prevalent in many countries and not just my own neighborhood.

Reviewed by Brenda M. Lisbon
of the RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

I enjoyed reading this book. It's about a young girl growing up in America who aspires to learn more about other cultures. While growing up, she moves to different parts of the United States and experiences the different cultures from the south to the north. It's not just about the African-American experience, it's about growing up and realizing that there's more to the world than what's just immediately around you.

The illustrations by Kaji Aso are wonderful. A Japanese artist illustrating the life of an American who grows up to live in China shows the multiculturalism that is possible. I also like that each page has the corresponding Chinese translation on the opposite page. One can imagine two young girls, one on each side of the world, reading the same book at the same time and imagining the life of the other.