Shaw Books

This is a fantastic book. Disability is a such a big category it may be impossible to ever fully understand all the issues involved. But The Ragged Edge is a great first step.

This book is a series of essays, poems, and short stories written by people with disabilities. Some are angry, others funny, none are boring. Some are better written than others. But all are powerful for their raw honesty.

I was moved by these very personal stories. I had never before appreciated all the trials, fears, and anger people with disabilites live with everyday. Before reading this book I had some vague notion of the problems of access and acceptance, but I never thought about how humiliating it would be to be paraded before medical experts as some kind of freak show (read Lisa Blumberg's essay "Public Stripping"), or how heart rending it must be to hear arguments in favor of abortion rights rooted in the fact that people like you exist, or to live in a world where even one of the United States' most esteemed legal minds could pronounce "Three generations of imbeciles is enough" in support of the forced sterilization of the disabled.

You're apt to find yourself chastized by some of these stories. Good. But you'll have learned alot, gained new perspectives, and perhaps become more empathetic and understanding of a group of people who embody the truth that we're all broken people in the final analysis.

I liked this book. It has a lot of different perspectives, lots of articles from various parts of the disability movement. It really captures the flavour of the movement in its early days.

I'm, Girard Sagmiller the author of the book Dyslexia My Life (ISBN: 096430871-1) . The book The Ragged Edge
, is one of the top book for find out about living with a Disability
, great for anybody feeling as if they are the only one dealing with this or for someone working with a disability group.. Thanks..

This book is a compilation of real-life experiences through the eyes of writers who happen to have a disability. Having read this book, I am that much more aware of both the existence of societal discrimination, whether blantant or a result of ignorance, toward persons with disabilities and the unique perceptive persons with disabilities have on life.

`The Scottish-Irish Pub and Hearth Cookbook' by Scottish / American culinary writer, Kay Shaw Nelson is another cookbook offering by the relatively low-priced, low profile publisher, Hippocrene Books, Inc. which has a large selection of cookbooks about many of the lesser world cuisines in `The Hippocrene Cookbook Library' as well as several books on Scottish and Irish subjects.

I have reviewed a few of these Hippocrene Books and compared to those offerings, this volume is superior to most, although it may not be the very best source for traditional Irish or Scottish recipes. On the other hand, I especially like this book for the fact that it seems to have very good versions of many recipes that may be so common that many flashier cookbooks may not even deign to cover them. My favorite here is the recipe for Scotch eggs, which recently came to fame as a dish prepared on `Iron Chef America' by the `Too Hot Tamales' (Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger) in a battle against Bobby Flay. The recipe made such an impression that while I remember it, I don't remember the secret ingredient or who won the battle.

I also like the fact that there is a much greater similarity between the two Celtic culinary cultures of Scotland and Ireland than there is between, for example the modern cuisines of Spain and Portugal, which some have lumped together. The biggest difference between the two may be the time at which each was influenced by contact with the French. For the Scottish, during the era of Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, when Scotland and France were active allies against Protestant England. For the Irish, it seems to be much later, beginning in the early 20th century, when Ireland first became independent, and preferred to trade with France than their former colonial masters, England.

While every culinary tradition on earth seems to make a case that they are more congenial entertainers and friends of travelers than anyone else, the Irish can document the fact that not only do they really enjoy a good gathering over beer or spirits, there were actually LAWS passed, the Brehon laws of the Gaelic Celts of the 5th century AD, enforcing hospitality toward strangers and travelers.

The chapters in this book are a great reflection of what is important to these Celtic cuisines:

Starters, including meatballs, lots of oysters and prawns, and the famous Scotch eggs. I'm surprised to find a perfect recipe of the shrimp cocktail, which may have come to these shores from Scotland or Ireland instead of the more easily suspected French.
Soups, especially featuring leeks, which seem to be a native and not a French import. The most famous, of course, is Scotch broth, which is heavy with lamb and barley.
Egg and Cheese Dishes, featuring many dishes from the famous Scottish and Irish breakfasts, including that mysteriously named cheese dish, Scotch Rabbit.
Barley, Oats, and Cornmeal with lots of porridges and cold cereals, such as Muesli.
Seafood, including lots of finny animals from freshwater lakes and streams such as salmon and trout. The most famous recipe here may be kedgeree, a rice, fish, and egg casserole. I just wonder exactly how old this recipe actually is, as two important flavorings are Worcestershire sauce and curry powder, two very British ingredients which may be not much more than 150 years in the British Isles.
Poultry and Game recipes look suspiciously like recipes from southwest France (See Paula Wolfert's great study of recipes from this region). This may either be primordial Celtic influence from Europe or later emigration from Protestant France to the British Isles.
Meats includes a lot of beef as in corned beef and cabbage, corned beef hash, and beef tartare, plus lots of lamb dishes and, oddly enough, several hamburger recipes. Makes me think our favorite meaty fast food came from Ireland rather than northern Germany, as its name suggests.
Vegetables is lots of mashed potatoes and what to do with mashed potatoes the day after. It also shows that the Gaelic cuisine is one of the very few outside Japan that features seaweed.
Bread, especially quickbread based scones and soda bread, which don't use yeast, plus boxty, that famous refuge of day-old mashed potatoes.
Cakes and Cookies, oddly, is separated from desserts, possibly because these are recipes for things served at tea and not after a late supper. The highlight is oatmeal cookies and Scottish shortbread.
Desserts features lots of apples, pears, and berries, especially the classic blackberry fool
Drinks, of course.

As a source of both culinary lore and classic recipes, this may be the best available book I have seen on Scotch / Irish comfort food. It may not be quite as good as `Irish Traditional Cooking' by leading Irish cooking school owner, Darina Allen, which the author recognizes as one of the leading authorities on Irish culinary practice, but for a nice little inexpensive package, this book is very, very good. For more information on the intertwining of culinary lore and ancient Celtic celebrations, see `Celtic Folklore Cooking' by culinary writer and folklorist, JoAnne Asala.

The Scottish-Irish Pub and Hearth Cookbook is probably the easiest cookbook I've ever tested and reviewed. My family has gotten used to my cooking experiments. They always know when I have a new cookbook. Everyday for a week or two, I'll spend hours cooking up a storm. Then, they'll tentatively try the dishes and give me their verdict on whether I should make it again sometime.

With The Scottish-Irish Pub and Hearth Cookbook, I completely confused my family. I cooked and they tried the dishes but the majority of the meals, snacks, and desserts were already familiar to them. They were my old standbys many of which I learned by watching my mother and grandmother cook. I even found a few dishes that I remember enjoying as a kid but couldn't find a way to replicate. Now I have the recipes and I can pass them onto my children and grandchildren.

This book is easy, warm, and satisfying. Reminds me of home with family, freinds, good food and good conversations. If you like good "pub" feel, buy the book.

The recipes are great! I've done extensive research on Celtic dining and spoken to many a Scottish friends that grew up with the old Celtic Traditions and they agreed this cookbook is great! So far, the recipes i have tried have been outstanding! If you're looking for authentic recipes and enjoy great food... try this cookbook out!

Book was fun to read. I have one question. Where do I get the shoes featured on the front cover?????!!!!!!

The book was a fun read and the diet has been easy to adapt to my life. After all the diets I have tried, this one is working. I have lost 10 lbs so far and gained 4 great pairs of shoes. I enjoy shoes as much as food, so working towards a pair of shoes as a reward for giving up some of the food I love keeps me from feeling deprived and motivates me to stay on track.

What quick and fun reading ! Makes alot of sense. Why not use these
sensible principles with the motivation of shoes that we all love? Highly recommend this for serious and not so serious dieters.

The story of "The lord of the Rings" is spectacular,because it took me to a whole other world where I felt I was in the adventure myself.I believe this is one of the best books I have ever read.

The Silmarillion is one of the most stirring, well-written literary epics I have read. Every time I pick it up, I am captivated by Tolkien's mastery of language and storytelling; each chapter is written as a story unto itself, yet part of a whole that makes you want to read more. He has created a whole new mythos...just read "Of the Sun and the Moon", and you will be drawn into this world. Should be on every high-school reading list.

I find this book for sale on Amazon's down loadable books.

So, I get all set to down load it and only after they put their spy wear on my PC do they tell you they don't realy sell this book any more.

A long-time Tolkien fan, I have always enjoyed The Silmarillion, though it's never been my favourite. Martin Shaw's reading may just change that! Hearing Mr Shaw's rendering of Tolkien's prose is a truly magical experience. I enjoyed his reading of The Hobbit, but this text is much more moving. Mr Shaw manages both the high linguistic style and the Elvish words with dignity and makes the text come alive in a way that is simply amazing. (We can only hope that Mr Shaw has plans for The Lord of the Rings.) The decision of the publisher to release the text unabridged is also very welcome -- the mythic style and scope of the book demand that every story in it be told, and it is well worth the cumulative price of the volumes.

An intelligent,insightful and entertaining autobiography.A delightful read. For many years I thought Artie Shaw was an old grouchy talented musician who flippantly gave up his musical profession. This book changed my mind completely and anyone who appreciates Mr. Shaw's music should read it. A great book.

Captures the essence of not only Artie Shaw, the man and his ideas of life, but of the big band scene of the thirties and forties. Especially for devotees of Artie Shaw, a must read.

Ever since I was introduced to the world of Artie Shaw's music - at about the age of 14 - I have been a devotee of his work. Easily my favourite big band of the fabled Swing Era, I thought Artie's clarinet had a woodsy tone which was prettier than Goodman's (although Benny was undoubtedly the better clarinetist) and felt that his band sounded more swinging and modern than Goodman's. Shaw's 1938 band ("Begin the Beguine") was fantastic as was his equally famous 31 piece 194O band ("Frenesi"). His 1941 Orchestra gave us the lush classic versions of "Star Dust", "Moonglow" & "Dancing in the Dark" Classy and unforgettable records, those three sides!

Born in NYC 23 May, 191O, Arthur Issac Arshawsky somehow escaped living a life of poverty via sheer will and determination to "be somebody": perhaps the most innovative and creatively intellectual of all the big-time leaders, one can hear Shaw's genius in his music: his diversity, originality and creative tendencies are fascinating and astounding to hear.

His initial band in 1936 included strings - something which was highly unusual for a swing band. "There's Frost on the Moon" vocalised by Peg La Centra and "Japanese Sandman" are both available on CD - as good examples of his music from this period.

In 1939, at the height of his popularity, Shaw - who could never abide bobby-soxers & autograph hounds - simply walked off the bandstand one night and fled to Mexico. Shaw loved music and all its aspects - but LOATHED the business side of his career. But he couldn't stay away for good. Artie was back on top with another great hit he found south of the border: "Frenesi".

This intellectual genius - still living in Southern California - married Kathleen Winsor, who authored "Forever Amber". Lana Turner was his young bride and another wife - Ava Gardner - was crazy about him. Shaw was also married to Scarlett O' Hara's younger sister - Evelyn Keyes. Creative, frustrated, brilliant and a perfectionist, Shaw's legacy is his fabulous music - most of which is re-mastered and available to the public on CD's. Perhaps the most inspired "small group" of the entire Swing Era was Artie's terrific Gramercy Five.

My personal favourites of his records are BEGIN THE BEGUINE, MOONGLOW, STAR DUST, DANCING IN THE DARK, OCTOROON, OUT OF NOWHERE, LOVE FOR SALE, NOCTURNE, CONCERTO FOR CLARINET, TEMPTATION, COMIN' ON, BACK BAY SHUFFLE, ONE FOOT IN THE GROOVE, ONE NIGHT STAND, CHANTEZ-LES BAS, FRENESI, SUMMIT RIDGE DRIVE, BLUES IN THE NIGHT, THE MAID WITH THE FLACCID AIR, SEPTEMBER SONG, BETWEEN A KISS AND A SIGH...among many others.

As a student, reading this is pretty eye-opening. I am a clarinetist myself, and some of the things that Mr. Shaw accomplished were pretty darn amazing. His book shoed how we are all running after something, and it can be fun, but we look forward to catching it until we actually catch it and realize that it's empty.
The book wasn't amazing because Mr. Shaw possessed musical expertise. It was amazing because he understood the way the human race works. His work showed that he could see things other people couldn't. The book is interesting, but very tough reading. If you don't have enough time to tackle this all at once, then I suggest that you wait until you have the time, or you will lose some of the impact.
This book is one of the most powerful I have read in my life. It really shows how life works and how people react to life. It may ruin your little bubble in life, but it may also help give you new direction.

Buy this Bible for you favorite sister or mother in Christ as it really helps them to better understand the Bible.

Have purchased several bibles looking for the one that was easy to carry in my purse and to read. I found it right in my Avon brochure. Now I have shown it to several friends who want a copy and I have referred them to Amazon.com because Avon no longer has it. Easy on the eyes and very inspirational. Thank you.

This is simply a refreshing and inspiring addition to the Good Book itself. Designed specifically for women, the passages and devotionals will help guide you on even the darkest of days. Beautifully bound and conveniently thumb-indexed it is a bible you will treasure for many years to come. Complete with a reading plan, a weights and measures equivalency chart pertaining to biblical times and a list of devotionals arranged by topic, this bible makes the perfect gift for a beloved woman in your life or as a special treat for yourself. There is also a companion devotional book available entitled "God's Word of Life from the NIV Womens Devotional Bible". There is also a Men's and Mom's version available as well.

This is a great bible to do devotions with when you are new to Christianity, need a place to start being more faithful to quiet times, or a great way to get you looking at God's word. Very easy, but insightful. It can be a nice supplement to other studies, or you can use it alone. God will use this book to further your walk with Him. A great gift for women who are searching for Christ.

one of the best books on the jfk assasination, ive read well over a dozen on the subject & this one was up near the top. Probably not the best written, the author makes a couple of minor mistakes including referring to the 1957 appalachin meeting of mafia bosses as the meeting in the appalachian mountains! however, does include some very important info about the people responsible for the jfk assasination- those same cia agents, cuban exiles & mafia bosses who were active in the plots to get rid of castro. read this along with craig roberts' Kill Zone & u will solve the mystery surrounding the jfk assasination. This book gets to the point of the actual people there in dallas that fateful day & craig roberts' Kill Zone shows the conspirators who actually ordered the assasination. Read them both if u want to know the truth about who killed kennedy.

I recently had a holiday in Cuba and found this book available in English everywhere. I found it very convincing as to who was behind the conspiracy. If you plan a holiday in Cuba pick up a copy there.

The same group that was trying to kill Castro did succeed in assassinating President Kennedy. They are: anti-Castro Cubans, CIA, mafia, and the Watergate burglers.

"ZR Rifle" appeared at about the time when Fonzi's "Last Investigation," Scott's "Deep Politics," and Prouty's "JFK" showed up in the bookstores. Since Ms. Furiati has been characterized as "sympathetic" to Castro's revolution, I approached it with caution, only because I needed to know if the book itself could be discredited as another strand of misinformation in an entire web of misinformation spun over the course of forty years.

What I find instead is another well-researched and objective attempt to explain more clearly the strands in the conspiracy web already suggested by the contemporary literature. As I began reading "ZR Rifle," I attempted to verify each fact presented in succession against what I know from other independent sources. I relaxed those efforts after fifty or sixty pages because the book is well-footnoted and the documentary support for its explanation is solid. The book, which can be read in one sitting, adds more detail and clarity to the speculations and background provided by the other authors of this last decade's research.

"ZR Rifle"s strongest point is its reliance on documents and testimony provided by General Fabian Escalante, a veteran official of the Cuban State Security Service -- Castro's intelligence agency. Imagine, if you will, a country in a state of seige, a country made a pawn in the dangerous game of Cold-War nuclear weapons strategies, and a country that began to suspect itself as the intended scapegoat of a conspiracy hatched on American soil to murder an American President. Escalante occupied a position at the center of Cuba's own investigation to discover the Truth about the Guns of Dallas. Such a perspective provides ponderous advantages, because, unlike the problem of the fox guarding the chicken-coup, Cuban intelligence was able to place its own agents among the Cuban-exile community with a primary objective of turning up new facts. And these new facts substantiate what we already know about the complicity of David Atlee Phillips and other non-mob actors within the CIA itself.

The book presents a new challenge for researchers of both the "serious" and armchair variety who want to unravel the complicated inconsistencies concerning the "Oswald in Mexico" story. Cuban documents -- specifically passport applications -- controvert the idea that Oswald was never in Mexico. The facts that document his presence there raise additional questions as to why the CIA propagated the photos of the beefy-looking Oswald imposter, and the meaning of last November's revelations about voice-print identification inconsistencies with the real Oswald. The one certainty that stands out, other than the Cuban evidence, is that all the paradoxes concerning Oswald in Mexico bear the trade-mark of David Atlee Phillips.

My own model of the assassination has the shape of an hour-glass, or two pyramids each facing the opposite direction and intersecting at their apex. As with any methodical murder investigation, the "bottom-up" approach represented by Furiati and Fonzi fills in the details of the actual operations and execution of the conspiracy. Prouty's book, "JFK: The CIA, Vietnam, and the Assassination of . . ." represents a perspective from the other pyramid. The implications about the power-elite responsible for the Guns of Dallas are clear, but more evidence is needed. Americans in the year 2000 can easily vote on their suspicions alone. Those citizens of a more cerebral inclination can simply cut to the chase and formulate their own alternative replacements to the US Constitution. But to actually implement such a change requires massive public support that can only derive from a ponderous body of facts.

That is probably why Furiati was unable to publish her book in the United States. Again, there is a smoking gun in the hands of unidentified media influentials. One can only speculate that someone -- someone -- still worries about the sort of name-dropping that occurs on page 15 of Furiati's book. The fact that the ARRB Final Report was published in the same month that Congress voted to impeach Clinton, and that chapter 6 of that report contains thought-provoking comments about the individual mentioned by Furiati -- is no mean or insignificant coincidence.

History, a great story and an authentic historical craft! Not only that, but just the right size for girl-sized hands. A+++++++ Cannot be beat!

My almost seven year old daughter has been enjoying AG books on tape and has had at least 20 read to her. Our favorites are the short stories though, because they can be read in one sitting and they have great project ideas geared to the age group. We bought the newest series on July 1 and have read four out of six of the short stories. These books will become favorites for sure, just as the first short story set books are still read over and over again. Thanks for the intro to history in an appropriate format for the early grades.

A bunch of little books for a bunch of little kids! a perfect christmas present for any young girl of any age! i know my little girl loves it!

Luci Shaw's poetry speaks straight into one's soul. She takes ideas and lights them up with unforgetable images. She is an artist who knows herself and her God and communicates her heart in the beautiful words she uses. I can think of nothing more enjoyable than curling up on a couch or relaxing at the beach with her poems in my hand. Thankyou Luci for enriching my life! (It began with "Listen to the Green" in the 70's - more please!)

We are here to abet creation and to witness it, to notice each thing, so each thing gets noticed. . . so that Creation need not play to an empty
house.
-Annie Dillard

The key scene in M. Night Shyamalan's film Signs comes when Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) and his brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix) are discussing the
implications of what seems to be an alien visitation, signaled by a number of lights that have appeared over Mexico City:

People --- break down into two groups. When they experience something lucky, group number one sees it as more than luck or a
coincidence. They see it as a sign, evidence that there is Someone out there watching out for them. Group number two sees it as just pure luck, a
happy turn of chance. Well sure there are people in group number two are looking at those 14 lights in a very suspicious way. For them, the
situation isn't fifty/ fifty could be bad, could be good , but deep down they feel that whatever happens, they are on their own, and that fills them
with fear.

Yeah, there are those people, but there's a whole lot of people in group number one. When they see those fourteen lights they are looking at a
miracle. And deep down they feel that whatever is going to happen, there will be Someone there to help them, and that fills them with hope.

So what you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, sees miracles, or do you believe that people
just get lucky? Or look at the question this way --- is it possible that there are no coincidences?

Luci Shaw's poetry is based on the thrill of finding those signs in the everyday, of having faith that it is God who has placed them there and hope because of that.

A few examples will serve to give the flavor of the batch and speak far more eloquently than can I:

We know this to start with:

If we understood everything we wouldn't
be baffled. But mystery lives; somehow
without witchcraft or chicanery

we collect sounds and colors in a skyward
dish, like fruit in a bowl, and channel them
into verisimilitude--faces talking at us

from the tube's glass eye. Hallways of fog
enfold us in enigma. And then, the marvel of
window glass--how can anything be

hard enough to stop the hand and
hold its smudge while letting through this
soft light? The one wheat kernel that

breeds a thousand--a miracle of
loaves over and over again.
The stars, invisible in the blind day

revealed, thick as pollen, by the absence
of light. A billion spiky grass blades that melt
into a perfectly flat horizon. The Holy Ghost

waking me in my bedroom, drenching my
dry heart with fluid syllables, breathing
flesh into the fetal bones of this poem.

Rising: The underground tree
(Cornus sanguinea and cornus canadensis)

One spring in Tennessee I walked a tunnel
under dogwood trees, noting the petals
(in fours like crosses) and at each tender apex
four russet stains dark at Christ-wounds.
I knew that with the year the dogwood flower heads
would ripen into berry clusters bright as drops of gore.

Last week, a double-click on Botany
startled me with the kinship of those trees and bunch-berries, whose densely crowded mat
carpets the deep woods around my valley cabin.
Only their flowers--those white quartets of petals--
suggest the blood relationship. Since then I see

the miniature leaves and buds as tips of trees
burgeoning underground, knotted roots like limbs
pushing up to light through rock and humus.
The pure cross-flowers at my feet redeem
their long, dark burial in the ground, show how even
a weight of stony soil cannot keep Easter at bay.

Bubble

I watch it being blown, swelling and rising
from my grandson's red plastic ring, fresh-filled
with eager air, tenuous as just-spilled
dandelion silk, a fluid wobble, quite surprising

me with its likeness to our cosmic bubble,
all greens and blues, each continent and sea
etched in bright enamel by God and gravity--
a film's fine iridescence fixed. The trouble

is: before the shivering, frail balloon has hovered
long it bursts in a star of spray that pricks my skin
with cool fireworks, so that, in vanishing, it winks
at my comparison just as the simile is offered.

But mind's a watercolor paper. This visual spasm
has brushed me with its indelible, swift
rainbow strokes of form and gleam. My visions shift
between the micro- and the macrocosm,

ephemeral both, as radiant as grace,
glass globules in the furnace air, both sealed
off after a creative breath, and then annealed,
floating their minor vessels into space.

Reading these poems awakens us to the wonder of the world around us and, if we've a mind to allow it, transforms the mundane into the miraculous. You can't help but observe your surroundings
more closely and ponder existence more fiercely. And it's certainly possible that you'll choose to be the kind of person who views it all as lucky chance and insists we're alone and nothing means
anything. But, there's also a possibility that you too will see signs and miracles and be infused with hope. Ms Shaw enhances the latter possibility. Her poems, in that sense, are an extraordinary gift to
the reader.

So much of the Christian poetry I've read is doggerel, usually dripping with sentimentality and cliche. So much modern poetry is so narrowly within the author's own head that you can scarcely connect with the images. Shaw, on the other hand, is what the average pedestrian really yearns for in a poet. Her poetry is always accessible, yet fresh with new ways of saying things. She helps you see the world. Her images sparkle and dance in your mind. Here's an example: "What word informs the world, / and moves the worm along in his blind tunnel? / What secret purple wisdom tells the iris edges / to unfurl in frills? What juiced and emerald thrill / urges the sap until the bud resolves / its tight riddle? . . . What silver sound / thaws winter into spring? Speaks clamor into singing? / Gives love for loneliness? It is this / unterrestrial pulse, deep as heaven, that folds you / in its tingling embrace, gongs in your echo heart."