Scott Books

Windlord is a great book. It is an andventure/fantasy book. It tells the tale of how Falon quest to find his uncle to teach him to be a Windlord. He then goes to free his parents and defeat Balor, the evil magician. This is the best of the DeDannan Isle tales. This is one of my favorite books.

I can't quite tell you how much I love this book! Simply, this is the book that started me reading, I read it first when I was around ten and I'm now 18! Brilliantly told, engaging characters and a gripping story. The only minus perhaps is the fact it's over so fast! Look out for the other sequels Earthlord,Firelord and (Sealord)??.

This book, written by the Author of the unparalleled Trilogy "Tales of the Bard" was created for a young audience to whom the world of Fantasy is so much more real than those who have advanced to cynical adulthood. It brings to life Paedur the Bard, that most Unique of heroes, and a number of youthful followers. Included in this tale are two modern day youths. The author brings his teenage audience on an adventure they will always remember, where they suddenly realise that growing up can happen real fast. These youths walk down an ancient path on an Islet off the Irish Coast and into the world of Padeur, a Bard of millenniums past, drawn through the winds of time by uncontrolled powers that they, along with the friends they meet, must harness if they are to return home. Their Friends are a Huntress from the Icelands, A Torc-Alta (A Man Beast), A Lord of the one of the four most power Sources of Magic, The Elementals, and a Youthful Bard with a Silver Crescent Moon Hook in place of his Left Hand. This tale can be thought of as one in a parallel world to that which existed in Tales of the Bard. A Youthful Paedur still retains the ability to make us listen to his every word filling his word with mystery and magic. For a Youthful audience but otherwise worth reading just to get to meet Paedur once again.

It's a shame that some of the best Celtic fantasy out there is unnoticed, with a few rare exceptions like "Hounds of the Morrigan." Fortunately the De Danann Tales are published by a smaller, but higher-quality publisher.

The two teenage heroes, from modern times, are suddenly swept up from our world to a different, earlier magical one--the world of Paedur the Bard, the isle of De Danann. Soon they are caught on a mystical struggle, with a bunch of unexpected new allies -- a huntress, a torc-alta, a bard with a hook rather than a hand, and a guy who controls one of the Elementals.

In short, this young and strong band much rescue the Book of Windlord from the island's evil emperor, Balor (whose name will be familiar to students of Irish myth) and his hideous army of reptilian warriors. In addition to this, Our Heroes must also find a way to get home to their own time and place.

Too many books collapse in under the wish to pander to mass tastes, simple sword and sorcery, and sacrifice the underlying tones that make them unique to start with. I include Celtic-influenced SF/F in that category. But often the best gems of this subgenre are to be found in smaller publishers, like "Riddle of Roses" and "Knockabeg." These allow the full richness of the storytelling to be seen and felt, and this one does not skimp on the details that need to be handled.

The two human kids are saved from being standard by the excellent surroundings characters and how they interact. Though I felt the huntress was kinda flat, I liked the torc-alta, the bard and the Elemental lord. Balor is evil, nuff zed (although he is a villain that has been plumbed through many books, anyone with the name Balor remains utter evil).

The writing is excellent and high-paced, though I sometimes wished that Windlord was longer than it actually was. The cover art is amazing, with the four people riding on a reptilian beastie over a castle...

Overall, an engaging and exciting read. Well worth it.

This exhaustive study of the criminal justice/prison system in America proves beyond doubt that the criminal justice sytem is biased against minorities, political dissidents, and (always) the poor.

From colonial times to the present, horrors have been committd in the name of justice. What is so disturbing is that today, 500 years later, many of the exact same abuses continue. Women are raped. Men are beaten, and almost no one is rehabilitated.

Why is it that prisons are the only industry where one can fail over and over, and the only consequence is that we build more and more of the exact same thing?

As a private investigator this book has enabled me to better understand the roots of the current criminal justice system, the many shortcomings of the system, and the harsh realities faced by generations of prisoners in this country. I highly recommend it. I have shared this book with several attorneys and two California state life prisoners (victims of the three strikes law). There is something in it for everyone. If Ken Burns is out there, he may want to make this the subject of his next documentary series!

I am distressed by Americans who ask "how could the German citizens have tolerated the Nazi horrors" but who keep voting for tougher and tougher treatment of prisoners. This well written and well researched book describes the history of prisons (and you will be surprised by some of the earlier ideas about the purpose and functioning of prisons) for the past 500 years. I wish it would be required reading in all schools.

It's been more than ten years since I read Cherry-Garrard's account of Scott's journey to Antarctica, but I can still feel the lung-searing cold and hear the hellish, monstrous wind coming out of the center of the continent into which the journey was headed. I have never read of anything more terrible than this expedition including Shackleton's truncated Antarctic nightmare and Lewis and Clark's astonishing and dangerous overland haul from St. Louis to the Pacific.

This particular expedition was one terrible misadventure after another almost from the very start when there is a storm at sea right out of the gate as the ship carrying everyone and everything from Tierra del Fuego is swamped and so much food, materiel, and livestock are lost overboard. From there the bad luck never seems to stop. The very fact that these men continued on under circumstances that would have discouraged and then defeated most human beings is almost past credibility. In particular I remember the constant breaking down of the diesel-engined snow cats, the terrible fate of the Asian ponies, the leopard seals, and the long dark impossible trip that Garrard and one other member of the expedition take in the dead of the Antarctic winter to the Emperor Penguin breeding grounds to retrieve a few precious eggs for science. In winter. In the dark. Wearing 1911 woolen clothes, eating preseved 1911 food, and using 1911 (non-)technology. It took 1911 men to do it. I cannot imagine anyone from our time doing this with that equipment. At times I simply had to stop reading and wonder just how much more hardship human beings could stand. I've never felt so physically uncomfortable, so drained and so worried (as a mere reader!) as I was ploughing through this book which was a feat (the writing of it) in itself.

This is a story about a long-vanished era where grit and determination were measured on a different scale from what we see today. An absolute must for any lover of true adventure. It truly was the worst journey in the world against which any subsequent missioin of its kind - including extra-terrestrial - must be judged.

This book is the author's account of his own journey to find the Emperor penguins nesting grounds in the Antarctic winter, set into the context of Scott's final journey to the South Pole.

As should any really good book, it opened doors to new learning, as it informed about a subject about which I previously knew little, with interest level to match.

What struck me most is reading about unusual Antarctic ice melt conditons nearly 100 years ago, when human-induced 'global warming' could not have been an issue, at least so far as vehicle (and aircraft) pollution is concerned. I could be wrong, of course, but I began to see a bigger picture. That global warming is real and that polluting is bad are givens; that we can do much about the former is likely a conceit.

Also fascinating were the accounts of the nature of killer whales: Prior to this, I had assumed all killer whales were the loveable scamps shown in marine theme parks. Now? I give them a wide berth.

Apsley-Garrard's high regard for his fellow explorers and his gift for description make this book a joy to read. I only wish the editor/publisher had included (preferably inside the front or back cover) a proper map or graphic listing the place names mentioned in the text. The reader has to keep guessing, flipping or seeking out another map source to follow the journeys.

National Geographic ranks this book first on its list of the 100 greatest adventure books of all time. Also, see the DVD March of the Penguins, for the excellent 53-minute film on the making of the movie. This will give some idea of current challenges on a Winter Journey.

In 1911-1912 the author as a young man was part of the ill fated
Robert Falcon Scott British Expedition to be the "first" at the South Pole. The larger history of that effort's limited success and the stories of the lives lost is a well told as historical fact. Within the book lies the Chapter about the author's effort with two other companions to travel in a winter journey for the purpose of observing Emperor penguins in their nesting rookeries. This is the coldest journey "on record" with howling winds at -70 degrees f under total darkness climbing between open crevasses that were endlessly deep to retrieve a few unhatched eggs for scientific research. Once you've read this author's rendition of that "worst journey" no other adventure travelog can compare. Good reading and most unforgettable.

Apsley Cherry-Garrard was only 24 when he set out on Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova expedition. He was the youngest member of the group and, for my money, the best qualified for the later task of writing the complete story. Why? The Worst Journey in the World is an awe-inspiring adventure, told in such a way that you feel the young man's wide-eyed wonder as your own.

Very few novels have gripped and excited me as this book has, and far fewer nonfiction works. Cherry--as his friends called him--writes with a vigor and attention to detail and drama usually reserved for thrillers. The blizzards, storms at sea, killer whale attacks, sub-zero temperatures, and exhausting struggles with sled dogs, ponies, and yawning crevasses are vividly depicted. By the end of the book, you almost feel as though you've been on the journey with him. The "you are there" phenomenon is something I encounter very seldom in a book. This book actually managed to make me cold.

The Worst Journey in the World is not solely devoted to the adventure and the final tragedy of finding Scott and his men frozen to death. Cherry takes time out to comment on the scientific significance of their work in Antarctica, of the need for exploration regardless of immediate results, and, in conclusion, of why Scott's return from the Pole ended so bitterly. These sections of the work put the adventure into perspective, so that not only do you experience the good and bad times with the expedition, you learn what ideals drove them and what was at stake with every piece of bad luck.

The book isn't perfect, of course. Some of the scientific information Cherry relates is, of course, now outdated. The book starts off rather slowly, and the reader must pick up and remember the names of the other expeditionary members on their own--Cherry does not list or describe the others in detail until somewhere near the middle of the book.

That said, The Worst Journey in the World is still an outstanding nonfiction adventure. Once I started this book I could read nothing else. Anyone with an interest in the Antarctic, history, or exploration in general will find this book fascinating.

Highly recommended.

I found this book a great source for practical tips on how to design xml documents. Get it if you have a good grasp of the theory and have used xml before but don't have the experience to make great design decisions right away. All advice in this book comes from experience. It confirmed some of my own, but more often, served as an eye-opener.
This statement on the back cover sums it up: "The problem here is not really a lack of information (there are many books and online resources on xml out there). The problem is a lack of reliable advice on how to use these technologies correctly and efficiently."
I highly recommend it.

I found this book a great source for practical tips on how to design xml documents. Get it if you have a good grasp of the theory and have used xml on occasion but don't have the experience to make great design decisions right away. All of the advice you find in this book comes from experience. It confirmed some of my own, but more often, served as an eye-opener.
This statement on the back cover sums it up: "The problem here is not really a lack of information (there are many books and online resources on xml out there). The problem is a lack of reliable advice on how to use these technologies correctly and efficiently."
I highly recommend it.

I found this book an excellent source for practical tips on how to design xml documents. Get it if you have have a good grasp of the theory and have used xml on occasion but don't have the experience to make great design decisions right away. All of the advice you find in this book comes from experience. It confirmed some of my own, but more often, served as an eye-opener.
This statement on the back cover sums it up: "The problem here is not really a lack of information (there are many books and online resources on xml out there). The problem is a lack of reliable advice on how to use these technologies correctly and efficiently."
Get it.

This is not an introductory book on XML. At least one year of XML experience is recommended. With that, you'll get good advice on a wide variety of topics. Most people won't use all this information all at once, but it's at least good to know the strengths and weaknesses of XML from storage to access to presentation.

Chapter 1 (Architecture Strategies) gives basic information on where XML can fit into your solution, with a simple example. This was easy reading.

Chapter 2 (Basic Document Design) describes narrative vs. data-centric documents, storing text in XML elements vs. attributes, and data modeling pitfalls. There were good recommendations here.

Chapter 3 (XML Schema Design) provides good strategies on validation, schema flexibility and re-use, and namespace use. Also important is the section on Russian Doll Design, Salami Slice Design and the Venetian Blind Model; much of this info can be found on the Internet (e.g. at www.xfront.com) but this book does a good comparison and contrast. The information on constraints is basic, but ideas on representing null values are useful.

Chapter 4 (Parsing Strategies) covers DOM, SAX, and the little-used pull parsing, plus when and how to use each methodology.

Chapter 5 (XSLT Strategies) provides a lot of nuts-n-bolts details on different transformation topics.

Chapter 6 (XML Storage and Archiving) gives an overview of storing data as native XML, relational data, and hybrid approaches. Advantages and disadvantages for each are covered. Using a database (or not) in your product is a big decision, so this gives a good foundation for more research....

Chapter 7 (Presentation Strategies) gives general info on configurability, personalization, performance, use of rich media (video, audio, animation, etc.), cross-platform support, 3rd-part data and software, maintainability and extensibility. The topics vary too much to give more than a few pages to each subject.

Appendix A (Parser Performance) contains the details of testing on three Java-based parsers. For some reason, C++, .NET and Perl parsers were not included. As technologies evolve, the results of these tests are likely to become obsolete, though the methods may be useful to your own tests in the future.

In summary, none of the subjects are covered in great depth, though in many cases the coverage is adequate and the few details are very useful. With this book you'll get a good foundation for well-designed and implemented XML solutions.

Review from Legal Information ALERT, page 12, April 1999, Vol. 18, No. 4. Reviewed by Lisa Mecklenberg, Electronic Services Librarian, State Law Library of Montana, Helena, MT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY The Year 2000 Computer Crisis: Law, Business, Technology. The Year 2000 is fast approaching. Will you and your computers be prepared? The authors of this timely book offer to help you answer that question by organizing their text in a logical, straightforward fashion. The book includes seven chapters, followed by a forms section, appendixes, a glossary, a bibliography, and an index. The first chapter serves as an introduction to the technical issues involved in creating a Y2K plan, with subsequent chapters focusing on developing this plan, audits, the Y2K implementation process, contracts, Y2K litigation, and insurance. The fact that the intended audience is lawyers highlights one of its strengths. By focusing on the legal aspects of Y2K, Scott and Reid steer attorneys toward the production of appropriate contacts, warranties, remedies, and performance standards. They also suggest ways to protect directors, officers, and companies from lawsuits involving Y2K issues. To that end, the forms section is very good, featuring "Sample Year 2000 Compliance Agreements," a "Sample Complaint for Year 2000 Failures," and both hardware and software inventory forms. Chapter 5, on contracts, contains helpful advice on various Y2K agreements, including license agreements, supplier agreements, and Year 2000 consulting/remediation agreements. Scott and Reid also address the availability of insurance coverage for Y2K liability, as well as strategies, claims, and defenses that will be used by parties in Y2K litigation. Both authors have a significant amount of practical experience in this area -Scott has 20 years of experience representing a number of computer and software companies and Reid has served as a litigation strategist, an expert witness, and a special master in complex computer trial matters. Issued in looseleaf format, The Year 200 Computer Crisis permits periodic updates as new Y2K developments occur -it includes a December 1998 update that expands the book by more than 200 pages. A noteworthy feature is a series of checklists (i.e., awareness, assessment, implementation) to assist in the process of making a firm or business Y2K ready that are easy to follow and understand. The appendixes are also quiet useful, as several groups that have implemented the Y2K preparation procedures outlined in the book are profiled. These include "A Year 2000 Preliminary Analysis Report" prepared for the State of Rhode Island and a Technical Note from the Federal Reserve Board on "Testing Personal Computers for Year 2000 Compatibility." There is also a helpful list of Year 2000 web sites. For those looking for a "hands-on," planning-to-take-care-of-the-office-crisis-yourself guide to Y2K, this book may be frustrating, as it doesn't offer a nuts and bolts approach to making computers crisis-ready. For those, however, who would like a comprehensive overview of the Y2K phenomenon and guidelines on how to proceed with the handling of Y2K problems for clients, this book would be valuable. However, you better get it fast -many of the implementation procedures for addressing Y2K problems should already have been initiated. It is also highly recommended for law firms, which may actually have to litigate Y2K issues.

I was extremely impressed with the scope and quality of the book. Warren Reid is the most knowledgeable person I know with respect to the technical and practical business aspects of the Year 2000 problem and his willingness to share his extensive experience and practical wisdom makes this book an enormously valuable tool to anyone assessing Y2K issues. Mike Scott has already established himself as one of the world's leading authorities on computer-related legal issues. By drawing on his many years of experience with the computer and multimedia industries, Mike provides legal and practical insights into the Y2K legal issues that every lawyer involved in the Y2K maelstrom will find extremely helpful. ...Congratulations on publishing such a timely and useful work.

I think when the year 2000 comes all tax payers are going to have to pay for the upage on the computers and I myself don't think that would be a good idea because they are going to raise a big arguement and lead to a bad fight against the upage on this Y2K deal. It will go before a grand jury and loose the battle, then people will be mad.

I think when the year 2000 comes all tax payers are going to have to pay for the upage on the computers and I myself don't think that would be a good idea because they are going to raise a big arguement and lead to a bad fight against the upage on this Y2K deal. It will go before a grand jury and loose the battle, then people will be mad.

Let me tell you, my children read this book and the excitment that they recieved is out of this world! The characters, Ohff and Grote were absloutly amazing! The animation is fun and colorful! If my children loved it so will yours - Highly recommended!!!

I am a regular reader of the Chicago Parent Magazine, and just recently I read an article in the March 2002 edition that gives the Yuggs a great review! I purchased the book, and I could not even disagree a bit, I logged on and picked it up, absolutley amazing. This story is filled with great characters and very animated illustrations. This will definitly be able to fullfill the imagination of your children as it did for mine!

The illustrations were fantastic depicting a fun and goofy story! The story flows very well and the message is simple and understanding. A great book for all the young ones!

Ohff and Grote are halarious, and the illustration for this book was fantastic! This has really become one of my kids favorite books, and we cannot wait for another book in the Yuggs series to come out!

This is a wonderful book and uses only positive methods for training your dog. All of Ms. Scott's training games are great fun and it's amazing how quickly dogs learn the skills these games are designed to teach. This book will really help you train your dog to become a cherised family member.

Cindy has trained both of my dogs, with the same techniques and humor as she shows in her book. I bought two of the books to give as presents to new puppy owners. Her techniques work! Taz was a terror when we got him at the pound. But with Cindy's help, he has aced his obedience class and enjoyed multiple agility classes. Daisy has always been a sweet dog, and after passing the Canine Good Citizen Class, is a Delta Society Therapy Dog.
Thank you, Cindy!

Wow! What a fun book! I probably learned more from this "enlightened training" book than from any normal ordinary "dog training" book and was entertained while doing so. I got so much out of this because it was humorous and fun while very educational. My dogs are learning a new way of training and love it and it is fun for the whole family. Thank you for the fun new view of training our best friends.
kskinpa

Cindy has transformed the old style of dog training into a fresh approach simply by taking a new perspective: working with your dog should be fun, not some arduous task! Become enlightened and see your dog as a willing partner who wants to enjoy your time together. You can establish a hassle-free relationship with your dog and have your friends asking, how did you do that?

Paula Terifaj DVM
Author of the 30 Minute Vet Consult

Bad haircuts, "clueless" parents, pimples, hormones, loyal and/or ditsy friends, the girl's posse, dreams of the uncharted future, weird friends, untamed appetites and endless insecurities-- ZITS is a hilarious commentary on the foibles of being a teenager in middle America.

In this compendium of strips, Jeremy deals with having to get girlfriend Sara a Christmas gift (he gets her a tire); body-pierced Pierce the drummer makes his first appearance; Jeremy, on a rare free weekend with his parents at an orthodontists conference, spends the weekend in the company of an armload of horror videos *and* his overactive imagination; and then there's Ms Butcher, the Econ teacher who truly does stay up at night looking for ways to torment him.

ZITS is constantly fresh, drawn with humorous and deft exaggeration - the cover illustration showing a mountain of CDs, headphones, calculators and tapes spewing out of Jeremy's backpack should ring a familiar bell with any parent of a high-schooler. "Zits: Unzipped" has been read and reread and re-reread in my household. Scott and Borgman have put together a terrific strip that can be enjoyed by teenagers and their parents. Awesome!

Zits Unzipped is 'sketchbook 5' in the comic strip books and chronicles the life of adolescent Jeremy and his suffering parents, from his relationships with parents and friends to his on/off relationship with his girlfriend. Fans of the strip may find many they've missed over the years; newcomers will relish this coverage of the teen's ironies and agonies.

Here's the plot: Team two interesting and funny fellows together to write a comic strip about teenagers. Geographically situate them thousands of miles apart connected only by email, phone and fax and instruct them to do a daily strip, plus Sunday in color. Tell these guys the content has to illustrate a lovable but sometimes impossible kid and two tolerant parents, and see what you get! Zits!

The 5th book on Zits collection is still a sure time of laugh. This book is very well balanced and is good sample of what you are missing for not having it on your daily newspapaer (like me :( ...).

Dr. Hafemann's Second Corinthians is an unmatched source for understanding Paul's letter. The biggest strength of Hafemann's ministry is that it is led first and foremost by his desire to build up the followers of Christ, a goal he achieves through the teaching and preaching of the Word of God. Dr. Hafemann makes no apology towards his assurance that the promises of God are real and eternally relevant for everyone.

Hafemann brings a wealth of resources to the text of second Corinthians. He has a solid theological understanding of the WHOLE bible, with special emphasis on those sections which form the backdrop to Paul's letter. He has a fluent understanding of the original languages of both the Old and New Testament, elaborating on many of the areas where the English translation is not clear. Finally, Hafemann shows a true mastery of the text of Second Corinthians, a letter he has examined critically in two of his earlier books as well as his dissertation.

Some of the highlights I found were the unpacking of:

**Paul explanation that his suffering validates his true ministry in the Spirit, and that it is through this suffering that God is mediating the gospel to the Corinthians. **Paul's comparison of his call with the call of Moses, and his subsequent comparison of their respective ministries. **Paul's understanding that a life of faith and a life of persevering in obedience are one and the same thing.

Zondervan's hardcover binding and acid free paper insures this book will last the test of time. Its stiff pages, however, make it difficult to lay open. This is an especially annoying problem if your trying to take down some McDonald's fries while you read it :)

This commentary has been an invaluable resource in my own life. I confidently recommend it to anyone who wishes a solid understanding of Paul's view of his ministry and that of the gospel as a whole.

Pete Richert

This commentary series is touted as a light series, but I have found that Hafemann's book gets you down deep into the world of Paul.

I have used his book when preaching on chapters 8 and 9 and have found his comments to be stimulating and provocative. I have also appreciated what Craig Blomberg says on these chapters in his "Neither Poverty nor Riches," also available from Amazon.

And he is also insightful on one of my favourite bible passages, chapter 4. I can't get enough of the concept that when God's Spirit illuminates us, it is like the original blaze of light when God said LET THERE BE LIGHT in Genesis chapter 1.
And the thought that we have been given the right to see God's glory shining in Christ's face.

Highly recommended.

Hafemann's commentary is probably the best in the whole NIVAC series. His exegesis, while not detailed, is solid and insightful. This commentary has some really excellent theology, and some fine application as well. Given the stated aim of this series, Hafemman's commentary is first rate. Of course, it is not as detailed as Furnish, Barnett or Garland, but it does capture the flow and thrust of the letter better than most. I was impressed by its numerous insights. As for those who are worried about his theology of justification, I really can't see the problem with insisting that we are justified by faith alone, but that faith always includes works (including repentence!) within itself. No magisterial Reformer ever denied the necessity of works as a part of faith, they denied that works apart from faith can save. I highly recommend this commentary as filling a real need for the pastor preaching through 2 Corinthians.

"We have been pleased with Trigg & Dobson Access textbooks in the past. This revision for 2000 appears to be nothing less than the quality to which we have become accustomed." Dennis C. Hipp - Guilford Tech Community College

The exercises are, in my opinion, one of the strongest aspects of the book. They are varied, many require thought on the part of the students, getting around the "monkey-see monkey-do" approach of some texts, and clearly distinguish between problems for practicing techniques, problems requiring critical thinking, and problems requiring more exploratory activities. Timothy Fullam University of Alaska Southeast

I especially like three of the changes: A) relating the exercises to specific topics. Makes it easier for the students to comprehend the exercises. Also provides a logical foundation for relating topics to specific problem areas. B) providing strategic directions for project problem solving. Helps the learning curve for students who have difficulty mapping a solution path to complex problems. C) changing the fast-track index, rewording. Makes searching a lot easier! Ramesh Kumar, Cal State Fullerton