Owens Books

Based on historical fact, Shusaku Endo's The Samurai tells the story of a zealous Franciscan priest named Velasco (based on a priest named Luis Sotelo) and a rural samurai named Hasekura Rokuemon whose paths cross when Velasco leads a mission to Spain and then Rome with an entourage of Japanese envoys and their men, ostensibly in order to develop trade between Spain and Japan and to gain proselytizing privileges under the authority of Velasco, who seeks to become Bishop of Japan. During the protracted journey, most of the Japanese--all of them of lower rank than would normally be the case for international envoys--agree to convert to Christianity, although their motives are more selfish than profound. Since the events on which the novel is based took place during a period of increasing oppression and persecution of Christians in Japan, the mission is doomed to failure, and both protagonists end up dying for their faith, although Endô leaves vague the depth of Rokuemon's religious commitment. The descriptions of the mission's travels are well researched and hypnotic, the prose is often lyrical, the religious disquisitions are engrossing (even for nonbelievers, like me), the bitter sectarian rivalry between the Jesuits and Franciscans is vividly portrayed, and the world of early seventeenth-century Japanese politics and its evolving attitude toward Christianity is superbly interpreted. Also noteworthy is the depiction of Velasco's complex character as a man of faith struggling with his own worldly ambitions and sensual desires, and that of the humble samurai who is uprooted from his barren homeland and family to travel all the way to Rome while increasingly pondering the significance of the emaciated, ugly figure hanging from crucifixes he sees everywhere in Europe respected as a symbol of man's salvation. The translator, Van C. Gessel, provides a brief introduction and a very useful postscript in which he discusses the novel's relation to historical fact. This novel can be appreciated as both a terrific historical novel about an important subject not well known in the West and as an exploration of the suffering and elation experienced by men in the search for spiritual meaning in Christian faith. Endo's approach to Christian theology is considered highly individualistic, which will be clear even if you don't know much about the subject. Believers and nonbelievers alike will find this novel compelling.

The samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga Rokuemon has been assigned a mission: to establish commercial ties with the Spanish government and to bring back "padres" to the region of Sendai. With that purpose he crosses the Pacific, Mexico, and the Atlantic in a trip towards Madrid, Barcelona and Roma full of sacrifices and spiritual challenges. This is the account of a historical mission that failed from the start. The exposure of the samurai to Christianity marks in him a path that will accompany until his last days once back in Japan. Although most of the tale reflects the historical facts, some parts of Shusaku's novel were of his own making. It is a book of adventure but as many reviewers I was drawn by the religious inside which looks for a purpose of existence in each of its characters. I missed a more in depth intrusion into the Spanish culture of that time. Cities like Madird, Toledo, and Seville... were at that time filled with strong cultural, political and economical changes. It was close to the time when Cervantes wrote his Don Quijote de la Mancha and I'm sure the "real" emissaries where also swapped into those events: the homeless in the streets, people that abandoned the villages to find better chances in the cities...

At first sight, a book about Japan, Mexic, Spain and Italy, a book about religion in Japan and religion in medieval Europe. However, it is actually a book about people, but in its story religion plays an important role.
It is a book written by a (Christian) Japanese, in which Japan is not regarded as the end of them all, instead it contrasts - many times negatively - to other parts of the world. In these pages you can find people for which adopting a religion is just a means for better business, where earthly life is everything that matters. And yet, there are also people who found happiness, and act divine while still in a human body.
There is a Spanish priest who is very proud and acts selfish while pretending - even to himself - to be following the orders of God, and there is the samurai - the title character - who has nothing to do with Christianity, and yet has probably lived by it his whole life. They both come to a better understanding of life just when theirs ends.

After reading The Samurai I couldn't help to compare it with Clavell's Shogun: this one is written by a Japanese trying to see the good parts in other countries, Shogun is written by a Westerner who found in medieval Japan a much superior civilization. Read them both! They are masterpieces!

Okay first of all, don't let the title mislead you. One of the two main characters is a samurai but don't expect sword fights and bloody battles in this book. With that said I very much enjoyed this book and thought the author does an amazing job with making all the scenes come alive simply by his descriptions of the settings. I would certainly recommend this book to a friend and even though this is an religious novel, I don't believe you have to be a religious person to get something out of this book.

I have read a number of other books by Shusaku Endo and I have come to appreciate his unique (to me) Christian theology. He made a very powerful statement in "Silence" and another one in "Deep River". Endo doesn't trumpet his points but they are clear nonetheless. He is even more subtle in "The Samurai". It doesn't take long for us to pick out a most unusual "bad guy". Father Velasco, despite his continuous efforts to overcome his sinfulness, depicts everything that is wrong with modern Christianity. I use the term "modern Christianity" to refer to when the Church became more important than the Word. As a counterpart, we have Rokuemon Hasekura, the title character. He has no need whatsoever for Chritianity but it is through his eyes that we are able to glimpse the true nature of Christian faith. The subtlety of "The Samurai" lies in how the majesty of Velasco's Christianity overshadows the simple understanding of Christianity that Hasekura uncovers. At times I thought Endo had so lopsided the comparisons as to lose the meaning of it all. Only later did I realize the beautiful way that simplicity won out by its' own nature. I suppose it is possible to enjoy "The Samurai" without being touched by this comparitve examination of Christianity. This is an excellent work of historical fiction that focuses on Japan, the New World, Spain and Rome in the early 1600's. However, for me the book challenged me to examine my own expression of faith, both outwardly and inwardly, and see if I was Velasco or the Samurai. I'm still in the process of that examination.

This book is a fascinating look at the underbelly of New York night life in the 1990s.

Clubland: The Fabulous Rise and Murderous Fall of Club Culture, by Frank Owen

Being from Westchester NY and having been to all the clubs mentioned and knowing some of the people mentioned and at least knowing of most of them, the book sort of gives me the creeps. Reading about the craziness that went on behind the scenes puts the darkness of the NY nightlife in a different kind of light.

It is quite interesting to learn about Peter Gatien's twisted rise to NY City club mogul, especially being from a small Canadian mill town. The characters seem about right. For anyone that's been to the Limelight, Sound Factory or any other NY City underground type club during the time frame in the book can attest to the almost cartoon like figures lurking in the shadows and loosing it on the dance floors. The ambulances would line up out side the Sound Factory just before sunup and the doors would finally close around 2pm the next day.

I enjoyed the look into some of the players of the era and have to hand it to Frank Owen for the time and effort spent sniffing out the story, no pun intended.

By Kevin Kingston, author of: A 20,000% Gain in Real Estate

My Blog: The Real Estate Investors Blog
At Bloglines

There was a time, that I sat in my mid Atlantic hometown and read Interview, subscribed to the Village Voice, and partied at local night spots that couldn't hold a candle to the New York club scene when it came to sheer decadence but they tried-- oh, how they tried. This was long before the Clubkids though. In fact I seemed to have missed this phenomenon entirely-- never even saw them on television-- until I ran into the movie Party Monster via a radio interview on NPR with Seth Green who starred in the 2003 movie Party Monster based on the documentary, that was based on the events surrounding the death of low level drug dealer at the hands of a party promoter.

Owens has done a fine job as a reporter. As a true outsider though, I have to admit that I wasn't all that surprised at the drugged out antics of the club goers (for some reason urine is always used for shock value) which really weren't that different from the earlier period or probably even now. It was the violence of the family connected thugs that I found disturbing.

Owen did well not to concentrate on Alig's murder of Angel. The information about the Florida club scene was interesting. There were things Owen talked about that I would have liked him to have expanded on, such as his theory about the fascination that mobsters and entertainment stars have for one another.

There were also some potentially hilarious scenes in the book such as when one of the informants takes two burly male DEA agents -- one of them in a dress with a slit up the side.

On the down side, though, the book seemed to end rather abruptly with some rather lightweight, but mercifully brief sermonizing about how the dance clubs were built on cruelty.
Well worth the read.

The pace of this book was amazing. It's unfortunate that a poor movie like "Party Monster" prevented Clubland from being made into one. With the right director and cast, there is no doubt in my mind that this would have been huge. The cast of true characters in this book are people you find yourself rooting against. It reminds me of "Goodfellas" one of the best movies of all time.

During the 1990s, Frank Owen made a name for himself as a chronicler of the darker side of Manhattan night life, focusing especially on the always outrageous, often seedy, and occasionally criminal exploits of a small cadre of club owners and party promoters. His articles in the Village Voice managed to combine both some truly commendable journalism with a disarmingly naive dismay at the excesses of the scene; many of us read his pieces at the time with both uneasy recognition and palpable shock.

"Clubland" is the summation of this reporting, focusing on a trio of truly larger-than-life characters: promoter Michael Alig, who spearheaded New York's "club kid" scene; club owner Peter Gatien, who owned the Tunnel, the Limelight, the Palladium, and Club USA; and Chris Paciello, who fled New York to preside over the burgeoning Miami nightlife. Owen broke many of the stories and scandals surrounding Alig and Gatien; his reporting on Paciello is largely after-the-fact for the Miami period, but it's still remarkable how much new material he reveals and assembles.

Owen's coverage was and is superb and, for the most part, even-handed; he treats with an equally skeptical eye the abuses and foibles both of "clubland's" then-presiding influences and of overzealous law enforcement authorities. He also writes well, providing page-turning accounts of the murders, assaults, blackmail, drugs, and even government malfeasance that plagued Gatien's clubs and employees. Impressively gaining the confidence of nearly every party involved with the crimes and misdemeanors he describes, Owen skillfully fills in many of the details that were missing from the newspaper coverage at the time. Overall, then, this is a fascinating and well-researched book.

Where Owen stumbles, however, is his occasional (but thankfully sparse) tendency to use the examples of a few bad eggs to paint a tawdry picture of all of New York's nightlife. [Full disclosure: I knew or know a number of the people mentioned in this book.] As a result of his experiences, Owen is "more likely to view discos as institutions constructed on cruelty," and there are a number of other similar sentiments that pepper the book. It should be unnecessary to point out that dozens of owners and managers, hundreds of DJs and promoters, and thousands of club employees and patrons have never seen the inside of a courtroom, much less a jail cell. It's sad to see Owen, who is an excellent reporter, succumb to this sort of moralizing overreach; it is as simplistic as viewing Jayson Blair and Judith Miller as emblematic of all journalists, or as holding up a few rogue cops as examples of an "institution constructed on cruelty."

Another recurrent theme of Owen's book is the "fall" of clubland. Of course, many New Yorkers older than either Owen or me argue that the night scene fell after Steve Rubell went to jail and Studio 54 closed its doors (or, for that matter, after the heyday of the Copacabana or the Cotton Club). And it can't be news to Owen that there are still thriving, crowded, exuberantly joyous dance clubs in New York that a younger crowd surely believes is the best thing that's happened to entertainment. Even now, if a journalist like Owen were to scratch the surface, he'd doubtlessly find a few Mob-controlled elements and the scourge of drug abuse--only now, crystal meth has replaced Special K as the problem "party favor," just as ecstasy had supplanted cocaine two decades ago.

In fact, the scene described by Owen had moved past Alig and Gatien long before the duo's downfall in the mid-1990s. Except to a relatively small number of devotees, Alig had become embarrassingly passe as quickly as any other trend in this city; he and his peers often had difficulty filling even the smaller clubs. Many of us fled Alig's "Disco 2000" parties years earlier, moving to clubs dominated by a different set who spent their days working out in the gym and their nights (and mornings) dancing in abandon. And now, in Astoria, there is a more art-conscious and ethnically mixed "club kid" scene, presided over by some fresh faces as well as a few surviving denizens of Gatien's clubs.

In spite of these quibbles, Owen has no peer as a chronicler of the primeval "club kid" scene; what his reporting lacks, then, is historical perspective. "Clubland" is, however, a book of journalism, not of history; as such, it succeeds admirably at describing a comparatively narrow but inordinately visible slice of 1990s nightlife.

I really enjoyed this book, it was like visiting with old friends. If you want just an easy read this is the book for you.

Love this Series. I have been reading all of them from the first one Heartmate till the last one which I Heart Fate which I just started reading. I cannot get enough of them. It keep me wanting to keep reading without putting the book down. I sometime have to force myself to go to sleep and when I'm sleeping I get upset because I have no other choice than to stop. I definetely recomment the etire series to be read. Love love love this series.

Another one that I enjoyed the book immensely. Some of the series I have even read more than once when I was unable to find anything else of interest to read when I had a moment to myself where I could curl up with a good book and put myself into another world. I am looking forward to the new book HEART FATE!

I have always enjoyed this author and her Heartmate books. I am on the list for her newest one coming out soon, called "Heart Fate".
I wanted to prepare myself and catch up on all the characters before the new book comes out. This book was great. I really enjoyed the characters and their plight. Of course, I love each and every Fam cat!
I do hope she continues this series. I appreciate the effort Robin D. Owens puts into each and everyone of her books.

I love Robin Owens and have recommended her writings to several of my friends and family. You will enjoy the banter between the characters and they way characters from past books are brought into the next one. I highly recommend this author to everyone. I am on my seat waiting for more, and more, and more!!!

Owens shares an intimate collection of short stories and poems for those who like their reading material short, sweet and deep. Many of these verses will move one to laughter and tears. Each sentence requires you to reflect. Some of the topics she explores are how to love a black woman and man, why our faith inhibits our spiritual and personal growth, social customs teach intolerance and some of the unhealthy lessons we are teaching our chldren. Owens depicts the nuances and intricacies of contemporary love and relationships while addressing the social ills that vex our community.

I thoroughly enjoyed Janette Owens's A Swan Song, and I am sure you will too. In her book, she covers all apects of life. Whether it may be through her poems, or through her short stories, I guarantee there is something there that will touch your heart, and feed your soul.

A Swan Song is a quick and easy read, but filled with promise and inspiration. Ms. Owens did a fine job on her first "work of fiction." She easily captures the essence of black love, despair, and hope in the powerful poem, "Birth of a New Generation." I absolutely loved the book.

I passed it on to friends one weekend, and when I went back to retrieve it, they told me that everyone (10 in total) wanted to buy it. I ordered my copy off Ms. Owens' web site. It's a must read and should be in the hands of every college student and hip-hop brotha and sista who's out there doing their thang!

Warning: Not for the faint of heart.

Looking for an easy blend of poetry and prose that taps into many aspects of daily life and human relationships? Then A SWAN SONG just might be the collection for you. When I think about the title that she chose for this collection, the first word that came to mind was graceful. Just as a swan moves gracefully with even strokes upon water, Janette Owen's intimate collection moves gracefully through a variety of topics that readers may enjoy and relate to.

This thin book is divided into six chapters with five to eight poems and short stories per chapter. All of the poems are easy to read and understand. Those poems written as rhyming couplets deal with intimacy, black freedom, and spiritual growth, while others are non-rhyming free verses, which explore topics of daily living and social problems. I believe my favorite poem is "The Office." This engaging poem clearly identifies the strange breed of folks we often find in our workplace. But in spite of the office politics that is involved with gaining respect and securing promotions, the poet reminds us that what we endure is simply part of our allegiance to whomever signs our paychecks. Of her short stories, "Inclement Weather" and "A Swan Song," for which this collection is named, are my favorites. "Inclement Weather" centers on the stormy topic of interracial dating and how society's (especially the families of the couple) non-approval at times takes its toll on the lovers; while "A Swan Song" represents the private ponderings and sensual thoughts women often have about the special men in their lives.

A SWAN SONG is a promising start for Janette Owens. I believe her thoughts and words will transcend this book from just being about black life in general to being a book for all races and human experiences everywhere.

In Janette Owen's book of intimate poems and short stories, Swan Song, I think I have found a couple of poems which should be considered for the Black National Poems. Included in Janette Owen's medley of beautiful poetry are the two poems "How to Love a Black Man" amd "How to Love A Black Woman." These are what I consider to be MUST READS for every African-American. Actually, these are must reads for EVERY man and woman. Respect and love for each other, Janette Owens lays it out very nicely.

Highly Recommended!

Support Black Authors, Inc.

Well done Ray - your dry wit and unrelenting quest to bring all humanity a little closer with the universal language of laughter is truly commendable!

PS: please cross endorsement check "Not Negotiable"

Normally, joke books get dull by the 10th page. But Ray breaks it up with his Judi and Amanpreet mail and sheer mean flames. Funny, in a sort of self-absorbed kind of way. The jokes are good, though, and the last couple of part (buy the book to see for yourself) is worth the price of the book. Memorize the last 10 pages and you can do a stand up routine.

This book is such fun easy reading and the way it is "Kinda Divided" up in segments it is great for picking up and putting down whenever you have a minute. Or when you need a "Quicky" and have very little time. No it is not very everyone - it is not for the young or for the adults that do not know that it is OK to laugh at outselves and for others that are equally as bad off (mentally). I think of Ray as an unknown friend (after all he did autograph my book!) You are Great Ray! Keep up the good work.

If you get a queasy stomach when you hear the word "damn" then you should really go away now. If you, on the other hand, have a sarcastic, no-holds-barred sense of humor, you will love this book. These aren't knock-knock or 'gross' jokes. Look forward to Li'l Johnny and the like, but the real value here is seeing the true life morons that contact Ray, and the entertainingly truthful replies back. You'll meet Judi, who's so blonde it comes through in her words. Amanpreet, who likes his coffee black, like his lizards (or so the rumor goes). And many, many more. GET THIS BOOK.

Ray Owens is a funny guy, and this book is proof! No matter what your age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or choice of Internet Provider, he'll be sure to insult you at least once and make you laugh histerically a million times. It does contain a lot of adult humor, so keep that in mind. Definitely recommended for anyone with a sense of humor, and the ability to take cracks with a grain of salt. Also recommended for those who hate AOL or morons, since there are many idiotic letters from said individuals. Happy reading!

In brief, I consider this required reading for work that I do with other psychics, mediums, healers, ministers. I met with a retired agent who was affiliated with the designers and dirctors of the SRI programs after this book came out in print. He showed me a report that he had prepared for Jeffrey Mishlove which was a comparison of his data that he had collected as a team lead rv investigator for Space Challenger incident for a report given to Pres. Reagan. In that letter, it was explained to me that there was evidence which would not have been public knowledge and that his data coincided with similar data in the PK Man book.
In summary, Jeffrey Mishlove was moved by his own conscience and compassion for humanity to release his investigation of Ted Own for SRI. It is felt during meetings with retired rv team members that the although the intuitive issues of the rv projects may be common knowledge there are aspects of psychic phenomenon which is usually not revealed, hidden, or ignored and that the public at large needs to become aware of the nature of mind, if not soul itself. Science and Religion have more in common that our society pretends to accept. For the greater good of the society and planet there needs to be an all points bulletin releasing the fact that hard core science can be done on the field of dreams.

PK Man is a biography about Ted Owens,
a person similar to the hero Musa (Moses).

Ted was very talented in PK (psychokinetic)
abilities and energies, sometimes given as gifts
by Advanced Beings to Beings living as People.

PK Man can give a reader

1. a parapsychology case study about Ted Owens

2. accounts of Ted Owens' relations with Space Intelligences
(SI's, EXTREMELY Advanced Other-Dimensional Beings)
and possible other non-physical beings

3. tales of Ted Owens' very unusual psychic talents

4. testimonies by people about Ted Owens and SI's

5. Ted's very accurate predictions and manifestations
related to PK and advanced other-dimensional Intelligences.

I knew Ted Owens from about 1970 to 1973 and have
read other books, magazines and articles about Ted,
or written by Ted, or his preferred biographer,
Otto Binder, of original "I Robot" fame.

PKMan goes into possible details of Ted's life
that are less known about, and that I cannot vouch for,
such as his childhood and family background.

Mishlove writes in an easily understood fashion with a
minimum of extravagant language.

He also presents some finely-tuned philosophical views.

PKMan will provide some readers with a basis from
which to develop many important QUESTIONS and possible theories
about the INTERACTION between physical and non-physical Beings.

PKMan however does not touch on many of the very controversial
major PK feats that Ted and SI's performed to help terminate
the Vietnam War, or some very pertinent facets to Ted's talents,
such as his claimed severe SI-induced brain injuries
(similar to Peter Hurkos) or SI surgery on his brain.

Especially PKMan could be valuable to those interested in the
CORELATION between "natural" phenomenon, such as hurricanes and
earthquakes, and PK activities of Beings like Ted and SI's
related to human behaviour or misbehaviour.

All-in-all I would rate PKMan as a book
that could help "tip the balance" towards
the need for radical NECESSARY improvements
in both modern and ancient value systems.

However, the Ted Owens I knew was a very fine person,
with exceptional talents, in a World ruled by human
psychopaths, who often engage in massive cover-up,
especially regarding the UFO issue and psychic phenomena,
so Mishlove's portrayal of Ted as being a "criminal", or
mentally or emotionally unbalanced, are not in line with
the Ted Owens I knew.

Points to suspect in this book are Mishlove's tale
about Ted being like Darth Vader and The Dark Side,
so close in proximity to "Star Wars" throat-grabbing
episodes, or Mishlove's disregard for the massive Crime
that was committed during the Vietnam War by monetary
elites, on both sides of the Iron Curtain, manufacturing
all those weapons for profit, while being of the same
peculiar Euro Soviet Syndicate elite, to which Mishlove
is possibly related. Interested readers should research
the influence of Khazars on the US/UK/USSR Governments.

Also, anyone the High Priests of Human Elites describe
as a "Balaam" is quite worthy of study and appreciation.
It is even possible that Ted Owens was regarded as a
virtual Osama Bin Laden of the Vietnam War, by the
wealthy War Criminal Syndicate ruling over the USA/UK/USSR.

So I give a lesser score to PK Man, and a greater score to

"How To Contact Space People"

by Ted Owens

or any of Otto Binder's articles on Ted Owens,
the best, and most-feared, psychic technologist
of the past 100 years.

How To Contact Space People

I have to say that I enjoyed this quaint little book very much. I know that it took a lot of courage on Dr. Mishlove's part to write it. After all , he is well known and established with his series "Thinking Allowed" and his other books. The brilliant thing about this book is that it details so many of the PK experiments of Ted Owens that are absolute established facts and yet it is still unbelieved and taken so lightly.

I may appear to be a little biased in that I have had my own experiences with PK and know that Psychokinesis is an established fact. There is no mind over matter - there is just no such thing as matter - all is mind - and all you see is your own mind.

Ted Owens is a pushy, egotistic, conceited and beer swilling individual. There is no need to like him and every reason to dislike him. He kills people through his PK abilities to nourish his ego. Everyone has these abilities but Ted Owens was different in that he knew he had these abilities and was determined to make this known and in his later days to earn his crust from them. He fell victim to the age old adage "Tell a big enough Truth and no one will believe it". And so Goverment agencies and Newspapers ignored him, even though he told them in advance what he would create in perception. This is the real conspiracy. Disinformation by refusing to put wind under the sails of what is True.

The workshop that Dr. Mishlove had with Ted and he inserted towards the end of the book teaches some excellent techniques for improving one's mental health, self empowerment and in harnessing the power of positive intention.

Overall, well worth a read!

Mishlove has written an excellent book based on a true story. So few people really understand mind over matter and yet the ability is available to all of us. Jesus even is quoted as having said: Greater things than I, you can do also. Bravo to Ted Owens for sharing his story. Bettye Johnson, award winning author of Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls.

I bought this book after hearing Dr. Mishlove speak at the International Remote Viewing Conference. I really didn't know what to expect, but Mishlove had given an excellent talk, so I thought I'd try his book. I'm so glad I did. It was excellent.,

THE PK MAN is the story of Ted Owens, who claimed to be a great psychic. Whether you believe that to be true of not, Dr. Mishlove handles the material with professionalism and interest. Then he goes on to explore the physics and spiritual implications of Owen's gift (or curse.) I literally could not put the book down, and although the possibility of Owen's intrigued me, the roads Mishlove explored concerning the Owens were even more fascinating.

I'm looking forward to reading more of Dr. Mishlove's work.

This is a great book for a beginner and probably a semi-pro. Very well done. Easy to read.

Satisfies a need as one of the few books that deal with sqlite3. Overall an excellent reference and guide to sqlite, however I knocked it down a few pegs because the example code in the book is either incomplete or has errors and then when you compare it with the examples you can download from the APress site the downloaded examples don't match the examples in the book. Needed better proof reading of the code examples before being published. Maybe if there is a follow on second edition they can improve on these short comings. Still definitely worth the purchase despite these problems.

Chapter 4, PHP5, PDO, sqlite3 and root access at a UNIX console ... that's the recipe I used to learn SQL (at last, after more than 3-decades of programmming -- I finally got around to it)

Tech books are hard to recommend ... kudos for not using Widget Inc. for the samples and examples. The "Foods Used in Seinfeld Episodes" [mostly junk food] ... database examples was quite nourishing for the intended purpose. I bought, I sat, I learned. For me, 4-1/2 stars ( my 1/2 star deduction might just as well be a 1/2 start addition to those who value redundancy) ... I felt it could have been every bit as useful trimming the page count by 25% ... but then, maybe it was intended for younger programmers ... you know, those who have only been at it for 20 years. :-)

This is the best available source on SQLite 3. It thoroughly covers how this junior version RDBMS differs from the big boys (like Oracle, MS SQL, PostgreSQL, etc.) It covers especially well the unusual variable typing and the special role of SQLite as an embedded relational database. For my purposes, the book spends too much time on the internals and the background C and C++. I wish it had covered in more detail the language extensions for embedding SQLite in Perl, Python, Ruby, Java, Tcl, and PHP; but I did learn a great deal about these extensions that I have found nowhere else. Free open source software can only document so much: at some point, one must consult a book written for profit such as this one.

I read this book cover-to-cover, except for most of the C API material. It contains a useful SQL overview, along with Sqlite3 specifics. I have done corporate database programming in my younger days; but even so, the overview was a helpful refresher. However, a person current in SQL would consider this material fluff.

That said, the Sqlite3 specifics make the book worth the price. It is written well enough, and I enjoyed the read. I'm a perl guy, and I was disappointed that there wasn't more perl-related info. I got the feeling that the author was unfamiliar with perl, and lifted the information from elsewhere.

Other reviewers have complained about the index, and they are right. It is incredibly inadequate. This fault makes the book annoying to use as a reference. I have been penciling page numbers into the index as I use the book.

This book is fabulous. If you are reading this book, then obviously you must have some questions in this area. You've come to the right place (or book rather!). Being a patient of Dr. Silber's I can say that reading this book is like having the doctor talk to you live. It is like having him talk to you face to face. Answers to all your questions are inside his book, and if you are reading it for reasons of infertility, you will relate to this book 100%. I highly recommend this book to anyone being faced with fertility issues.

My husband and I are going to this doctor and after reading his book I am more sure now than ever that he will be able to help us get pregnant!!! If you have any fertility issues and you aren't seeing this doctor, read the book anyway, you will learn things you never knew!!!!

This is a very interesting book which is suitable for the general reader, however, as a medical specialist I also enjoyed reading it.

I found this book to be very detailed and informative. It really answered a lot of questions, so I wasn't calling my doctor every 10 minutes.

Dr. Silber perfectly matches science and empathy in this book. For someone who tried unsuccessfully for years to get pregnant this book was a lifesaver. It answered questions and provided information in a format that was easy to read. It's great!

If you enjoy reading about a pompous ass major in the Union army that debases every religion, race, sex, political affiliation and nationality that isn't his own...who likes to tell you all about the faults of the Irish and Germans and at the same time praises (over and over) the Welsh (of which he is one of course)... who can't tolerate socializing with a prostitute...who's wife has a lot of sympathy for said prostitute, but none for her husbands adopted daughter...and who will tell you about his "bad" leg at least fifteen times throughout the book, then by all means read this book. Be smart and buy it at a used book store so you will only be ripped off half as bad.
In fairness to the author the story line and plot were alright. For me it was the characters (in particular Able Jones) whom I couldn't tolerate. Mr. Perry did seem to have the habit of many authors where they write a 200 page mystery in 400 pages. I understand that Able Jones is just a character in a book, however it would be nice if he had at least a few redeeming characteristics.

A Union general recruiting among the Irish coal miners in Pennsylvania is dead. The confessed killer is also dead. But Major Abel Jones believes otherwise, convinced that the clannish Irish miners, violently opposed to the Civil War and emancipation, have hidden the killer. But when Jones opens the casket of the supposed murderer, and instead finds the body of a woman, he finds himself in a tangled web of political and social hatred and rivalries.

I say nothing new by stating that the central draw of Owen Parry's "Abel Jones" series is the beautifully developed character of Jones. "Bold Sons of Erin", the fifth entry in the series, displays that strength of character spectacularly. Jones for the most part remains the stiff, snotty, but honest Welsh Methodist we know and love, spouting off his low opinions of Irish Catholics, and his mixed views on everyone else. However, Jones experiences a great deal of growth, not only pursuing a murderer, but dealing with personal battles on the home front. His adventures have taken him from home. His wife Mary, while still loyal and understanding, is slowly losing patience with his sense of duty. His young son doesn't know him well. The young girl he has adopted has created resentment. And finally, when Mary's uncle dies, he leaves the Jones' with a great deal of wealth, and Abel with a horrible secret about his wife. Jones frequently finds himself reexamining his views of the world as the truths he has clung to are challenged by reality.

While set during the Civil War, Parry only brings that event to the foreground when necessary and appropriate. Jones is not Forrest Gump, miraculously present for every important event. He recounts witnessing Antietam early in the book, and gives us a very bloody and heartfelt description of the atrocity of Fredericksburg at the close of the novel. Jones works directly for Abraham Lincoln, and so meets with the president on one occasion. Parry's is more interested in the social ramifications and political maneuvering of the War than with the military aspects. Thus, Jones must struggle with resentful Irish violently opposed to the draft (even as the Irish brigade distinguishes itself), consumed by the superstitions of the old country; the loyal German immigrants whose importance to the Union effort cannot be understated, even as some of them have revolutionary tendencies; and the mysterious role of Russia, the only major European power to support the North. He also finds himself with the shifting social fabric of his own community, including his wife's growing independence.

The mystery itself is one of the best of the series, as Parry is very careful to weave a variety of plot lines into a nice chilling romp. Grotesque and violent imagery abounds, as Jones plumbs the mystery of the murdered general. As is often the case with a good mystery, red herrings abound, as matters that Jones initially believes important prove incidental, and trivial matters are the key to affairs. However, the truth of the matter is, sharing company with Jones is more than enough to keep a novel going. A well-constructed mystery is a bonus.

Parry continues to weave satisfying books. Sometimes, he even achieves a near-greatness. While I'm not sure what the future holds, Parry drops hints that there are plenty more adventures for Jones even after the Civil War. So as far as I am concerned, Parry can keep this series going as long as he wants.

I had to read this book because I had heard that it mentioned the Molly Maguires and I was curious. I didn't particularly care for Owen's style of writing; he tended to go off on tangents sometimes and over-describe some particulars. He also uses the phrase "but let that bide" far too much for my taste. The main thing that the book makes you think about was that if military personnel went to the coal regions during the war to enlist the Irish, what would the mine owners have done? They probably would have done something because who would be left to go work down in the mines? They probably would have had to have started paying fair wages, etc. to get people to go down there! The book makes a good point of telling how difficult it was for the mine workers, how harsh the weather can be in PA and mentions the Molly Maguires. He mentions how Jack Kehoe was hung probably for convenience sake and that everything he did was in an effort to help his people. The main character of his book (the detective) is a Welshman (like the author) and the guy is pretty full of himself (which gets tiring). He portrays the Irish the way many Welsh probably looked at Irish during those times - as dirty, stubborn, unruly, dumb people. He does his best to try to be fair and writes about Kehoe with some admiration though (I'm sure he realized with the title of this book that a lot of Irish would be the ones reading it). I think that maybe some of the people from the coal regions would get a kick out of some of the references to the area and the dialect he wrote in.

This is the fifth book in the Abel Jones series, written by Owen Parry, who to my mind is approaching the status of a national treasure. For the uninitiated, Jones is a Welshman who served in Queen Victoria's army in the 1850's, was a sergeant, and saw considerable combat, especially in the Sepoy Rebellion (1857). After many experiences, he made his way to America with a wife and child, swearing to never fight again, only to be confronted with something he can't ignore or sit out: a war to free the slaves. Jones, you see, is very religious, and can't abide slavery; he must, therefore, enlist and use his soldiering skills to do his part in that institution's demise. Wounded at First Bull Run in the leg, so that he can't run or even walk without a cane, he is transferred to more indistinct duties. Instead of clerking somewhere, he's a sort of ad hoc investigator for the Union army, which sets the scene for a wonderful series of private eye novels disguised in a Civil War uniform.

In this, the fifth installment, Jones is sent to coal country in Pennsylvania to discover who murdered a Union general who had been sent there to recruit new soldiers from among the Irish coal miners. The Irish are uninterested, many of them, in fighting for the Union with the goal of freeing the slaves, who many of the Irish see as potential rivals for the menial jobs that those Irishmen now hold down. The supposed killer of the General is a local Irish coal miner, who confessed and then conveniently caught cholera and died, out of cholera season. Jones, however, is not convinced the man is dead, and digs up his grave, to view the body. Instead of the dead man, however, the coffin is inhabited by a young woman, stabbed to death, and this sets Jones to investigating to discover what's going on.

Jones is a marvelous character, full of the prejudices and quirks of the 19th Century man. These, however, don't make him evil, just a product of his times. The character is well-drawn and intelligent, and the supporting cast is well done also, from General Thomas Meagher and President Lincoln to various fictional coal miners and other figures. This book also represents the first break in the narrative of Jones' Civil War service: there's mention of his adventures surrounding the Battle of Antietam, but that episode wasn't the previous book. In addition, there's also reference to the Molly Maguires and other episodes from the post-war period, telling us that Abel Jones will probably move along after the war. One reviewer complained that the Molly Maguires aren't well-defined, here, but of course they hadn't formed yet, so they would be ill-defined, wouldn't they?

I enjoyed this book immensely, and would recommend it to any fan of mysteries, or anyone interested in the Civil War.

Owen Parry's books get better with each novel. The suspense is good, the mystery is well handled. His character of Jimmy Malloy is priceless and unlike one reviewer's comments, Mr. Parry (not Perry, that's an Irish name) is even handed and speaking from a 19th century perspective). I would only have several minor nits with it: The German used has occassional grammatical errors; there is no Welsh. A man of Abel Jones' background coming from Merthyr would have spoken Welsh. Why don't he and his wife speak in Welsh in front of the workers rather than go to another room? He also comments on the baroness being from "Estland" (Estonia) and then commenting about the German barons' treatment of the Slavs. The Estonians are Finns, not slavs.
You cannot read these books fast. There is a lot of excellent imbedded wisdom. I think every fundamentalist who reads his Bible with blinders on should read the section when Malloy talks about Darwin and the creation story.
In earlier works you get a very real sense of what Washington and London were like in these days. Here you get a very real sense of the coal mines and Fredericksburg (where I live and work as a volunteer at our Civil War parks) after the Union occupation.

Being a professional texturer for more than 2 years in game design and later in viz, I can tell you why this book is perhaps the best source about texturing.
It teaches you about exploring the surfaces and its history. Yes, that's it. This may sound too simple, but this is the most crucial and hard part of texturing - making the viewer believe, and believe yourself that this thing exists and has a history. In my opinoin, of course.
Ironically, in cg we start from tools and only much later come to the conclusion that there's a sculpture behind modeling, traditional lighting behind cg lighting and not quite, but painting behind the texturing. Obviously not quite the painting as long as we operate mainly with digitized photos simulating various surfaces.
Even now there's not an "ideal" book about texturing because definitely it must explain the physics of materials first, and then move into shaders attributes. I don't see shaders as something separate from texturing. For example, any vfx guy knows that there are 3 main components for a realistic surface: color, bump\displacement and specular\reflection. And they provide them always for any surface. Yes, every surface reflects. Or that your luminosity\saturation values for the diffuse must be around 20-80% to work well with lighting. Or your diffuse must be black for highly reflective or transparent surfaces. This is not stressed enough in most books for beginners, and there are many other important tips, utterly important. The technical side of texturing mainly lies in knowing photoshop inside out. There are some good tutorials on the net by Stefan-Morrell and Leigh Van Der Byl, I strongly suggest you reading them.
But in the end, you will know the technical side well, and you will come to this level where you almost meditate on the surfaces. Yet experience of course is a factor. They say you become good when you did 1000 renderings. There is some truth in it. But in the end, digital lighting leads you to the world of real-world lighting, modeling to sculpture, and texturing to meditating on real surfaces abd their history. And this is the most important thing in texturing imo.

As a well-versed member of the "Google Images & Clone Stamp" school of texturing, I know full well that knowing all the technical ins and outs of a program doesn't guarantee good results. A strong grounding in fundamental art principles is needed to make proper use of all the technical bells & whistles.

It can be said that Digital Texturing & Painting is too art-heavy, but it's such a critical aspect of good CG that's either glossed over or omitted in other books. Being able to break down & understand all the many elements of a texture so it can be recreated and controlled is of the utmost importance. And learning how to go beyond photos and start working with the infinitely unique number of real world textures you can find or create adds new levels to your texturing work.

The art-based sections as well as the more technical preparation section are geared toward making you think about every aspect of the work and how best to execute it, rather than creating bland textures that have been done a thousand time before.

Although the specific texturing examples are rather short, the author covers the basics of several texturing methods. NURBS, polygons, using projections, using 3D paint software, tiling textures, using Illustrator, using Photoshop, making & scanning in real world objects or just making things from scratch. And the included CD has the PSD files for you to poke around in a figure out how the maps are put together.

Digital Painting & Texturing has the breadth & depth to be a helpful book for texture artists of all levels.

This book really takes texturing to a new level. You'll never walk around looking at the things the same way you did.

It describes intensely how to dissect and evaluate a surface, with interesting practical methods to re-create it.

Must read for people who seriously wants to learn about texturing.

I loves this book. It has truly taight me how to see texture and how to bring digital painting to life. This book will help you in all areas of art which can be used in real life painting, digital painting, 3D art and more. I f you need help Understanding how to get your art to that realism point then this book is defintly for you 100%.

You can only gain and loose nothing by reading this book-

This is a useful book, written by an experienced artist. Most of the book was really about art itself, how to see and notice details in real life the way an artist would. Only the last chapter really got into specifics about painting textures in Photoshop or specific types of maps.

If you want a book where most of it tells you how to think like an artist, then this is for you. If you wanted a book that went into more detail about how to unwrap UVs on a model or specific texture painting techniques, you'd be dissapointed.