McDonald's Books

This book was much better than I had thought it would be. The twists and turns kept you guessing about who did what. Especially good reading for horse lovers.

This is the first book that I've read by Tami Hoag, and it certainly will not be my last. The main character was feisty and likable, and she social commentary well with some suburbia dysfunction, romance, deceit, jealousy, tragedy, corruption, murder, and more! I can't even list all the elements she blended to create a wonderful suspense story. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Elena Estes is a strong female character that is a good role model for all of us. This book is definitely a page-turning thriller that will keep you guessing about the kidnapper/murderer until the end. Estes such a well developed character that I believe Hoag will be crazy not to write another story about her and Landry! Great Book!

The title itself both refers to the main character, ex-cop Elena Estes, and the main plot that revolves around the exciting and sometimes deadly world of equestrian dressage--a sport of precision, skill and mastery.

Drawing from Hoag's own skills and training as a competitive equestrian, and occasionally using the names of real people and horses, Hoag manages to propel you into the dark and often deadly world of professional equestrian sports. Step into a world of the ''ultra rich and the very poor'', where horses are exploited, misused, abused, drugged and even killed--all for the 'love' of the sport.

Protagonist Elena Estes is a 'dark horse', herself. Living in self-imposed exile after a life-shattering decision ruins her career, Elena finds herself drawn to the plight of a young girl, Molly Seabright. Molly's older sister, Erin, is missing, and the twelve-year-old has come to hire Elena as a private investigator to find Erin and bring her home.

Masquerading as a spoiled socialite, Elena enters the lavish, decadent world of equestrian sport and encounters deception and murder along the way. Filled with rich, powerful men this novel will throw you into Elena's past and present at a galloping speed...and if you don't hold on for the ride, you may just be thrown off.

Tami Hoag has consistently and persistently come up with unique storylines, fast-paced plots and intriguing characters. She is one of the most talented female suspense thriller writers there is, and once you read one of her novels, you'll be begging to read more.

This is perhaps one of my favorites! I found it truly interesting and very unique in plot.

Tami Hoag's Dark Horse is an intense read...one you won't WANT to put down!

~ Cheryl Kaye Tardif, author of Whale Song (2007 Kunati Books)

Cleaver story and writing! Elena Estes is a wonderful witty character, I hope Tami Hoag brings her back--maybe as a PI officially? From what I've heard, Tami Hoag is an accomplished rider and I loved her descriptions of horses and the circle that follows them. A very quick read and you will fall in love with her client Molly.

Book in good condition as stated. Pleased with delivery time. Will use this seller again.

The play Antigone was a great play with many twists and turns that will diffidently leave the reader begging for more. With all the inside looks on the believes of the Greek gods and how the Greeks actually viewed them. Containing various characters along with there strengths and or weaknesses, as well as how they succeed or how they fail. Whether it is the corruption and down fall of the new King of Thebes, Creon, and how one mistake lead to the deaths of his loved ones as well as the fall of his kingdom. Or the obedience and shyness of Ismene, who happens to be Creon's niece, and how she will not help her own sister burry their brothers body, because of the fact that she doesn't want to displease Creon and the empire although she knows that she should. Finally, there is also Antigone, the strong a stubborn girl who defiles her uncle/guardian/king Creon, because he has order that her brother cannot be buried, and that it will be eaten by the beasts and wild animals, because of what he has done. However, the characters are not the only interesting part of the play, the themes are also amazing containing such things as betrayal, disobedience, murder, suicide, and much more. Leaving a positive reading without a doubt. Also, Sophocles (the writer of the play) did an excellent job of getting his main point across. The main purpose of the play Antigone, though uncertain at the very beginning is shown more and more through out the play, especially in the chorus. However, if you cannot catch on to what the chorus is saying all the time the very last few lines should help quite abit, " Wisdom first for a man's well-being maketh, of all things. Heavens insistence nothing allows of man's irreverence; And great speeches avenging, Dealt on a boaster, teach men wisdom in age, at last." If nothing the last sentence should diffidently tell you that the whole purpose of this play is Sophocles trying to show us the importance of wisdom and how one bad mistake can lead to the death of many, as well as the fall of a kingdom. Which, is diffidently something that I learned reading this play. Just reading and showing how the anger of one man and how one choice that he made without thinking of the consequences of his choice lead to the death of his niece, his son, his wife, and even his whole kingdom, just kind of shows that you should be care full about some of the choices you make because you never know what will happen (it may not be as extreme but bad stuff can still happen). However when its all said and done I believe that this is a great play that anyone can enjoy. There is only one warning that I must also give though, the script can be very hard to read and may require you to have to look it over a few times or even get the scripts with the translation on the opposite side. Other then that the play is great and I diffidently suggest it to others.

Antigone is a Greek tragedy in every since of the word from the moment you open the cover to the very last word on the last page you are totally amerced in a story that truly captivates and portrays the true image of the human sprit. There is not an emotion that is not roused to life by this powerful piece of literature. The plot of this masterpiece seems to rack the deep recesses and foundations of your soul. The unique piece of literature is the story of a free spirited young woman and her uncle the newly crowned kind of Thebes. In the begging all thing are well within this peaceful town but that is about to change. The hand of fate is again about to play devastating role in how the game of life is played. Creon the new king is a patriotic and devoted man who wants nothing more in life than the best for his own family and country men. But when his nephew, stabs him in the back by starting a revolt against his rule, he has no choice but to defend his kingdom and contently killed his own flesh and blood. The king takes it a step to far though, he then goes and refuses to bury the young boys body. In the culture of the Greeks this a true curse to the soul of a man. They believe that till the body of the dead is buried he is forced to wander the earth in search of peace. The young Antigone is the sister to this brave hero now is stuck in and endless battle between her own morals and the governmental law. One might think that Sophocles, the author of this truly revolutionary piece of literature was trying to get his audience to think about their own decisions in life. The choices we make for day to day even the small ones a directly tied in to the values we have in life whether we realize it or not. Antigone for example chose to go against the law and bury her brother showing her true values of loyalty to family and her god rather than the forces of this earth. This kind of loyalty really hit me in the bottom of my heart. I think if could live my life day to day with half as much conviction she had I would be a great leader in my time. This play caused me to evaluate the principles of my own life and I hope to be a better leader because of it. I think that this is one of the most powerful and moving plays i have ever read and that is saying a lot. Everyone should read this really unique and revolutionary piece of literature sometime in their life it may say you a lot of heartache down the road, and I mean that

I'm sure that the readers of this review are not so much concerned with purchasing "Antigone" as they are with which version of "Antigone" to purchase. Let me recommend The Greek Tragedies in New Translations's version.

Yes, it is a bit pricey (considering you only get the one play as opposed to getting the entire Theban cycle), but there are several factors in the GTNT's favor:

1) the whole premise behind the GTNT is that "poets like Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripedes can only be properly rendered by translators who are themselves poets." I'm sure many will not like Braun's stark, spare translation, thinking it somehow less eloquent, less florid than other translations, but I liked it. To form your own judgment, I include a sample passage from the Watling translation ("The Theban Plays", Penguin Classics):

Wonders are many on earth, and the greatest of these
Is man, who rides the ocean and takes his way
Through the deeps, through wide-swept valleys of perilous seas
That surge and sway.
He is master of ageless Earth, to his own will bending
The immortal mother of gods by the sweat of his brow,
As year succeeds to year, with toil unending
Of mule and plough.

And the same passage rendered in the GTNT:

Many marvels walk through the world,
terrible, wonderful,
but none more than humanity,
which makes a way under winter rain,
over the gray deep of the sea,
proceeds where it swells and swallows;
that grinds at the Earth---
undwindling, unwearied, first of the gods---
to its own purpose,
as the plow is driven, turning year into year,
through generations as colt follows mare.

2) I'm not a big fan of extraneous material, but the GTNT did contain some material that was helpful. There was a Foreword outlining the guidelines for translation of the plays in the series; this was followed by an Introduction that included material about Sophocles's life and an essay on interpreting the play. (Neither of these was terribly useful; besides, I like to reach my own conclusion about a literary work w/o some academic telling me what it's "supposed to mean"!) After the play are Notes (Again, I would skip these unless you are an expert in Greek and wanted to know why certain passages were translated a certain way), followed by the only extra material that I found helpful: a recounting of the Oedipus myth to set the story in context.

3) I know there are problems inherent in reading ancient Greek drama (they tend to be rather sermonizing) that my Sophomore English class found difficult. I think having the GTNT available to students would have helped in their understanding/apprecitaion of the play. The updated language of the GTNT allows the Reader to focus on the characters' actions/motives more easily, more clearly, rather than seeing the play as some arcane, musty mid-century translation.

I read Sophocles Antigone for graduate Humanities class. It is an essential reading to understand Greek Tragedy. It is also a foundation stone of literature in studying Western Civilization.

Antigone, daughter of Oedipus in 3-cycle play, faces capital punishment for burying her brother who rebelled against Thebes. Obeying instincts of loyalty of love and the divine law, she defies Creon, the King and her uncle. Creon says laws of states outweigh all other laws, and family loyalty, when he finally relents it's too late.

Over the centuries there has been a great deal made about the conflicts played out in the play, law of state vs. law of goods, personal vs. state duties. Loves knowledge vs. state knowledge. Greek understanding of tragedy- Aristotle lays down understanding of Greek tragedy. He based it on Sophocles. Tragedy- most important thing for tragedy is plot, it is all essential. Tragedy defined as- is imitation of an action that is serious, complete and of a certain magnitude in language embellished with incidents arousing pity and fear ant to the audience it accomplishes catharsis of such emotions. Every tragedy must have six parts that determine its quality. 1. plot 2. character 3. diction 4. fault 5. spectacle and 6. melody.

According to Aristotle, tragedy is higher and more philosophical than history or poetry; it is one of the highest expressive forms because it dramatizes what may happen. History is a narrative that tells you what has happened tragedy shows what is possible. History deals with particulars, tragedy deals with the universal. Tragedy creates a cause and effect chain and shows how the world operates. It frames human experience in universal discourse, tragedy is central in this effort. Tragedy arouses pity and fear in audience because we can envision ourselves caught in this cause and effect chain. Plot most important feature, the arrangement of incidents, the way incidents, and action is structured. Tragedies outcome depends on the outcome of these cause and effect changes not on being character driven. Plot must be whole, beginning middle and end. Beginning must have a motivation that starts the cause and effect chain of events must be a center or climax that is caused by earlier incidents. There must be an end some kind of closure caused by earlier events in tragedy. This is all part of the complication of the tragedy all must be connected. You can't have a dues ex machnia in a superior tragedy.

In tragedy, the hero or heroine walks knowingly towards the fate that is written and can't be changed. Unity of action plot must be structurally self-contained, each action leading invariably to the next without outside intervention. The worst kinds of plots are episodic, like a Jerry Seinfeld sitcom, can't be something about nothing, must have unity of action. Magnitude, quantatively meaning length, and quality of action, it must be serious. Must be of universal significance, depth, and richness. Character- most important feature is the fatal flaw. Motivations of characters are important but character is there to support the plot. Character must be a prosperous renowned personage. Change of fortune from good to bad will really matter and bring fear and pity to the audience. In ideal tragedy, the hero will mistakenly bring about his own downfall. Because they make a mistake, because knowledge of our selves is always partial, we can't have complete knowledge of ourselves. Hall quotes Descartes in the article, "The limited error prone perspective of the individual. Subject is always imperfect and human and these limitations include our ability to know in any reliable way ourselves." The fact that we as subjects, as agents can never fully know ourselves means that we are always prone to error, error is the essence of the tragic hero, tragedy is the essential drama of human subjectivity.

What is Hegel's understanding of concept of tragedy? He revises Aristotelian principals and logic. Immensely influential German philosopher, he writes about; tragedy in the Aesthete 1820-29, he proposes, "the suffering of the tragic hero are merely the means of reconciling the opposing moral clients." According to Hegel's account of Greek tragedy, the conflict isn't between good and evil, but between competing goods, all is good. Between two entirely ethical worlds that clash and can't come together. Both characters have an ethical vision or belief that they have to follow it is there one-sidedness of their vision that clashes with the one-sidedness of the other character. Both sides of contradiction are justified. Conflict of irreconcilable justifiable ethical worlds, ethical visions. Just as his dialectic must lead to an ultimate synthesis, so to must tragedy lead to a synthesis. This is dramatized in the death of the tragic actor, which becomes the synthesis. Hegel says; "the characters are too good to live." They are too good to live in this world. What is interesting is that Hegel so wants to correct moral imbalances his emphasis is on moral balances.

Greek tragedy is great reading for people interested in aesthetics, history, psychology, and philosophy.

As mentioned on my review of the Norton Critical Edition of "Othello," I purchased the two versions together so I could put together an online version of the play for a project my professor has been working on for some time now. Personally, I like this version better than the Norton one because it keeps the British spellings, but for the purpose of the project the spellings are being made into the American spelling. Overall, it's a good edition and, as with the Norton edition, came at the suggestion of my professor.

I have my degree in English... I like reading and teaching with this version as "help" not as a substitution. It gives a clearer understanding to Shakespeare for people who have difficulty with it.

I have never intently read Shakespeare before, but enough people told me that I needed to read "Othello" that I decided to break down and buy a copy. Everything about Shakespeare I find intimidating, so with much trepidation did I buy this critical edition of "Othello". Needless to say, this work is AMAZING. Not only does Dr. Honigmann give notes along the way to help the reader interpret what the characters are saying, but he also provides an extensive introduction outlining Shakespeare's sources, some possible motives, and some character criticism. He also provides one of Shakespeare's main sources, a short story written by Giraldi Cinthio, and in this short story he provides notes that link it directly to the text of "Othello". I am completely sold on "The Arden Shakespeare" series, and will continue to use it in the future. A definite buy!

Forty-plus years ago, when I first started reading Shakespeare, I liked the Signet Classic editions.

They were cheap and handy, and the play texts were just about right for a beginner: clear, with an indication of variant and disputed readings without overwhelming the play; a simple, convenient way of glossing the hard words; and useful short explications of some of the allusions.

Recently, preparing to go see a production of "Othello," I picked up the Signet Classic version to re-read, and I did something I had not done in my student days: I read the supporting material.

The background to the original staging and Renaissance playcraft was unexceptionable, but when I got to the "new dramatic criticism," I was appalled.

Not all of it was new. Of three essays, two dated from 1956 and 1960 and no doubt were part of the first issue in 1963. These were tedious and obvious, just the sort of thing that took all the enjoyment out of studying Shakespeare in school.

The third, dated 1980, had been added to pander to current campus fads -- not something you need when reading a Jacobean text. The editors got a three-fer: an essay by Madelon Sprengnether that coughed up psychoanalysis, feminism and PoMo French-Belgian trendiness in a convenient but indigestible hairball.

It's hard to imagine that still in 1980, people were taking Freud seriously and disgusting to see Shakespeare subjected to Belgian Nazis. Of the feminism, all I can say is that sometimes a sword is just a sword.

I have read a fair amount of Shakespeare criticism and liked little of it. But until Sprengnether, none of it disgusted me.

The copy I picked up second-hand dated from 1986. No doubt in the two decades since, more "new criticism" has been added to keep up with the dumbing down of the campuses. To 21st century students, here's some advice. You will be better off doing what I used to do: Stick by the big fish and let his remoras tag along unheeded.

Though I am not a particular fan of Shakespearian work, I instantly fell in love wioth Othello. This play is one of the greatest things ever written. Never has a playwright combined love, extreme decpeption, jealousy, anger, and fear in a play like Shakespeare has in Othello.

Even if you are not a fan of Shakespeare, I highlky recommend this play.

If you do not wish to read the play then I would recommend going out and renting or buying the movie "O" with Josh Hartnet, Julia Stiles, and Mikih Phifer. I would rent/but the 2 disc version because the second disc includes the original silent version of "Othello" from the 1920s.

The Alibi Man by Tami Hoag has twists and turns that will catch you off guard. With its Florida back drop the story unfolds between a group of polo players, rich middle aged men who feel they are entitled to do as they please and the little people who work around them and feel they are entitled to get want they want out of life, regardless of what that is. The rich old men want only to debauch the beautiful, spirited young women. The poor, beautiful young women want to use sex to get at the old guys money and lifestyle. Elena is her usual contrary, cynical self and doesn't want anything to do with anybody, but ends up in the middle of it all anyway. This is a gritty story of haves and have nots dealing with right and wrong. There are no innocents in this war and no prisoners taken. Those who are corrupting others come in contact with those that have the similar interests. Some become friends and others become an unimaginable nightmare.
Like most Hoag stories there's a lot of soul searching and the justice is the kind that comes from life, not the court system. The story's point is a clear one, if you hang with bad people, bad things will happen to you, and in this story it doesn't matter how rich or how poor or how entitled the characters are, bad things happen.

I pre-ordered The Alibi Man in hardback, and upon receiving it on the first day of publication I read it in one sitting, and I have just re-read it. Amazingly, for a thriller, it was still a riveting read even though I knew the outcome

If you have read Tami Hoag's Dark Horse you will be somewhat familiar with the horse scene in South Florida where it is set. This time around it is polo rather than dressage, but still inhabited by some of the most unsavoury and self-absorbed people you will encounter.

Elena Estes, an ex-undercover detective scarred emotionally and physically, is out for a morning ride when she encounters a body floating in a pond, and not just any body, a beautiful Russian groom, Irina Markova, who works with Elena on her friend Sean's horse farm. From here on giving too much detail on the plot could spoil the book for you, but just be aware there are shennanigans galore including Elena's ex-fiancee Bennett Walker, Russan mafia, old murders, and a couple of scenes so grisly that I had to put the book down for a while to catch my breath. Bennett is part of a wealthy, spoilt, bad boys network called the Alibi Club, who have for years provided alibis for each other. 'nuff said!

Elena Estes is a complex lady and, sometimes her worst enemy, but she is riveting as a non-typical heroine, flaws and all. She is not a licensed Private Investigator, but she wants justice for her friend, and she bends the rules as far as possible to glean information. James Landy, a detective she first met in Dark Horse, is also investigating the crime. They walked off together at the end of Dark Horse and between the two books they had a relationship, but he is her ex at the beginning of The Alibi Man. He is also a very compelling character, an honourable man, and balances out Elena's personal need to get justice, with insight and good police work. Drat, I would have liked a bit more of the Estes/Landy relationship when they were a couple, as they seemed so well matched, so I felt a bit cheated that it had happened off the page.

Tami Hoag's suspense books Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust, Night Sins, Dark Paradise, A Thin Dark Line (Mysteries & Horror), etc, have multiple threads in the storyline, so they are not always an easy read if you are easily distracted. They are very different from her earlier romance books Heart of Dixie, Sarah's Sin, etc. There are always some twists, and there are generally a couple of rather gruesome passages. I understand from a friend who has worked in the world of Polo that Tami Hoag absolutely nailed it, murders aside!

I really loved the ending. The Alibi Man is worth the cover price and definitely a keeper. I'd give it extra stars if I could, and I will definitely be pre-ordering her next book Deeper than the Dead.

I'd definitely recommend this books to other readers who like complex suspense, and don't mind the occasional grisly scene. Although this book stands alone, if you haven't already read it, I'd suggest you read Dark Horse first.

I really enjoyed THE ALIBI MAN as a novel that kept a good pace and had no really boring or slow moving moments. I read a few reviews that described this novel as unnecessarily graphic. I just didn't see that. I thought it was delightfully graphic where it needed to be. When one is dealing with horrific murders and with unmerciful people who wish to terrorize potential witnesses or perpetrators, what would you expect? I think this would have been a 5 star book for me had the main character, Elena, been just a little more likable. I did grow somewhat tired of her continueing to try to act tough. She's an adult now. Grow up and get over it. Okay, your adopted dad was a jerk. Move on! Detective Landry was well done. I could actually believe he was a cop with a sense of duty and he was pretty competent at his job. Weiss was a bit hard to take and he just kind of disapeared towards the end of the book. I don't know how to describe Bennett Walker, but Barbaro was my pick as the biggest sleeze in the book. I was really hoping something awful was going to happen to him. I won't give away any details in the way of spoilers. I will conclude with something of a spoiler though: Way to go, Svetlana! All in all, this was a very good novel, fast paced and interesting. Another nice piece of work from one of my favorite authors.

The novel is set in central Florida horse country near Palm Beach. Action takes place during Polo Season. A group of wealthy men and athletes think the world belongs to them and they make their own rules. They band together to cover each other's tracks and provide alibis. They use women and treat them badly. Then a woman from their party scene shows up dead - the body dumped. Elena Estes knew the woman and is drawn into the investigation.

Events get dangerous. Some men have violent tempers. And there is a dangerous wild card seeking his own justice. The story has a twist at the end. Some people get what they deserve, but in surprising ways. The novel has sex, violence, and some language. I would rate it as adult only.

There is a prequel about Elena Estes, but this novel reads OK as a stand alone novel. There are some references to events in the prequel.

If you like this novel, you might also like "A Prisoner of Birth" by Jeffrey Archer.

A thoroughly suspenseful story that was very hard to leave. I have read all of Tami Hoag's books and this might be the best. A group of rich men think they have devised a way to cover themselves from guilt by lying and giving alibi's for each other when one of them is in trouble. It works great for them as long as they all stay together when they give their alibi's for each other, but will they be able to continue to do just that?

Elena Estes used to be a cop but she decided that she liked the company of horses much more than those she had to confront as a cop. A good friend of hers, Sean Avadon, owned a horse farm and Elena had gone to work for him after her time as a cop. Elena loved to ride horses, enjoying the freedom one gets while roaming the peaceful countryside. But when she finds the body of a woman in a canal during one of her rides, her enjoyable ride turned nasty all at once. An alligator and some of the many flesh eaters in a Florida canal were enjoying the body. Elena phoned her old police friend, James Landry, and he started the cops rolling to the remote area. The victim turned out to be Irina Markova, a co-worker of Elena's at the horse farm.

Elena being an ex-cop was told by Landry not to start investigating on her own since she was no longer a cop. But Landry knew Elena would not listen and would delve into the case secretly, especially since she knew the victim fairly well. In the area was a famous polo club, the International Polo Club, where the rich loved to play. One of the rich star polo players was Juan Barbaro, a handsome man that loved good looking and rich women and while Elena was not rich, she was good looking. Barbaro was a member of the Alibi Club as was Elena's former fiancé. Bennett Walker. Elena hated Walker's guts and couldn't stand being around him and she knew in her mind that with all the bad things he had done when she was associated with him, he could have had something to do in the murder.

Barbaro wanted Elena and she wasn't too unhappy being with him except for his alibi connection. When Elena is contacted in a far too menacingly way by a member of the Russian mob, Alexi Kulak, she got scared and knew there was much more to this murder along with the murder of another girl that showed up dead in the area. Now it appears to be a possible prostitution ring connecting the Russian mob and the Alibi Club rich guys.

If all of the above doesn't spark your desire to read this book nothing will. Tami Hoag has written a non-stop action thriller that connects many facets of Palm Beach, Florida rich polo life, and Russian mobs with the police interaction keeping Elena in the action all the way. Though scared she was not one to quit when her friends were involved. A MUST read.

This biography focuses heavilty on Hamilton's fiscal policies, particularly in his role as Secretary of the Treasury. It is well written and relies heavily on primary sources. The book sometimes becomes heavy reading when McDonald disucsses some of Hamilton's more complex financial dealings.

McDonald seems to have set out to write a book emphasizing Hamilton's political and financial/administrative contributions to the new republic and that is what he did. There is relatively little on Hamilton's personal life. For that one must look elsewhere (to Ron Chernow for example). The book is largely successful at what it is trying to do and is very good on the finance/administrative areas. One would expect no less from McDonald. As his other works on constitutional history show, he is an expert on the political philosophy and thought of the time as well as the period's economic theories.

The prose is crisp, direct and clear for the most part but perhaps not the most sprightly ever committed to paper. McDonald can certainly be serious and charming simultaneously as he was in his memoir of his life as a historian (Recovering the Past), but his tone in his more formal work is quite brisk and even heavy at times.

I would downgrade the book somewhat for two reasons: First, as mentioned, it scants the personal life in favor of the ideas and actions. With Hamilton, however, the personal life and conduct were utterly intertwined with his political and physical fates, especially as he grew older and (it seems) both increasingly intemperate and fearful that he had not been accorded sufficient esteem by contemporaries and might not have achieved the degree of 18th century style fame that would cement his reputation for posterity. The duel, for example, is one of the dumbest things that a smart man ever did and was to my mind in large part caused by events in his personal life.
Second, the book is quite partisan and even hagiographic occasionally. Most biographers sympathsize with their subjects and give them more than the benefit of the doubt; but, judging from the book, Hamilton seems to be in McDonald's all-time personal pantheon of historical heroes and it shows. This may be because McDonald appears to share in some part the distrust of popular democracy that gave rise to Hamilton's fear of government by "the mob." Whatever the reason, Hamilton is seldom portrayed as wrong or even in error.

Overall this is a worthy book by a fine scholar of the period and is especially good at making clear Hamilton's financial systems and political ideas in the context of the times.

Though this biography is about 25 years old now, it's one on Hamilton that I will not part with. Forrest McDonald has written many books on early colonial American history, on the Constitution and on the presidency of Washington and Jefferson. He is now a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Alabama. This biography is more substantive than Brookhiser's and Brookhiser, I believe, actually consulted with Forrest McDonald when he wrote his book on Hamilton. Our government sometimes consults McDonald on Constitutional issues. As to political affiliations, McDonald describes himself as "an unreconstructed Hamiltonian Federalist". (The federalist party doesn't exist anymore; the present day republican and democratic parties are both offshoots from the previously named democratic-republican party).

I've written this review so many times, mainly because I think that this Hamilton's life deserves a careful study, particularly with regard to his work on getting the Constitution ratified and his work in the treasury department. I highly recommend Frederick Scott Oliver's Alexander Hamilton:an Essay on Union which I've reviewed previously and Knott's Alexander Hamilton and the persistence of myth. Oliver's book is really dated, going back to 1928, and is written from a British viewpoint. He was a Scottish lawyer, read by Lord Tweedsmuir/John Buchan, who unfortunately only wrote several other books; his biography on Hamilton, in my opinion, is beautiful. This biography is good too. I love the quotes from Pope that McDonald heads every chapter with. (Hamilton's favorite authors were Pope and Plutarch). Chapter 8 is entitled Funding and Assumption which deals primarily with Hamilton's solution to the huge debts the colonies owed other nations following the Revolution. Stephen Knott's suggests in his book that Hamilton's solution of setting up a sinking fund would have been a good solution to another huge debt that our Treasury Department had to deal with soon after, (I believe), Bush Sr.'s four years, yet Congress gave this suggestion little notice. What makes McDonald's bio a standout, I think, is the depth of material he provides in explaining what he did as Treasurer. He's also biased toward Hamilton which I think actually is a good thing and paints not so rosy a picture about Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, or Burr.

I think this biography will stand the test of time because of its solid research from Hamilton's birth to his death; McDonald's biography is the most comprehensive and complete. (I haven't read the newer biographies yet; I do believe this one will remain the standard). I was particularly impressed with his treatment of Hamilton's youth and parentage. I'd like to give this book 5 stars, yet American politics and writers to some extent alarm me. If I could, I would give this book 4.5 stars, the 0.5 subtracted for my cautious misgivings stated previously, and, compared to Oliver's biography, Oliver really understands the characters of Hamilton, Jefferson and others, most accurately portrays them, which is what a biography should be. To McDonald's credit, his and Oliver's agree on many points. Highly recommended for serious students of American history and of this most notable, yet rarely noted founding father.

Forrest McDonald wrote this book out of a profound knowledge of the legal, financial, and economic environment of the world of late-colonial America that Alexander Hamilton came into, and of the early Republic, that he transformed. Hamilton was a brave soldier, an astute politician, an extremely talented administrator, a great lawyer and a man of extraordinary personal morality and honor. These characteristics were enough to vault him to the upper reaches of early American society. But his financial and economic program -- that rescued this new and foundering nation -- is the true basis of his greatness.

Hamilton was a man of parts, not least of which was his technical mastery of the financial means to establish and maintain a sound currency and national credit. Apprenticed to a merchant at an early age, he quickly came to appreciate the mentally invigorating effects of the commercial life. He was naturally quick and, as in repudiation of his socially marginal origins, a rigorous adherent to morality and "gentlemanly" honor. His talents, hard work and charm bouyed him up, and he seized each new opportunity with both hands, for his ambition would not let him rest. McDonald tells the story of Hamilton's early years with vigor and interest, but it is clear that the thrust of this book is to elucidate his real accomplishment as Secretary of the Treasury. This was the funding and assumption of the debts that the just-formed United States had inherited, the taxes and tariffs to pay for these, and the financial mechanisms -- including the Bank and the sinking fund -- to create, as out of nothing (or less than nothing) a universal and sound currency, as well as a store of capital to fund businesses, which he felt must be the drivers of the economy.

This book is fairly compact, but gives a good feel for Hamilton the man. If you want more in that line, then the current biography by Ron Chernow is where to look. But here you will learn what Hamilton did that no one else could have done, and that needed doing. Even his enemies -- Jefferson especially -- found, though they repudiated the man and his politics, that in the end they couldn't do without his works.

The author of this book is so enamored of Hamilton that it completely blinds him to any faults Hamilton may have had. Furthermore, anyone who showed any opposition at all to anything Hamilton proposed is deemed either delusional or a traitor. His treatment of Jefferson and Adams is amazingly disrespectful. Even Washington comes accross as a feeble leader at times without the constant support and advice of his most trusted advisor Hamilton.

As the book progresses, the bias gets worse and almost preachy.

Shockingly, the famous duel with Aaron Burr gets only about 3 pages worth of description.....probably since it was not exactly a high point in his life.

Avoid this book if you want a well-balanced biography.

Ray Kroc's autobiography provides an interesting glimpse of the McDonald's system and it's development. The book is well written and interesting to read. Despite this, I do not recommend the book. It offers no wisdom or lessons learned to take away from the book besides Kroc's greatness. (Kroc never suffered from an excess of humility.) In addition, I found it difficult to like Kroc. He rarely found fault with himself and blamed others for his and his businesses problems. Particularly galling to me was when Kroc had the opportunity to invest in McDonalds and another earlier business opportunity, his wife of 30 years was unconvinced of the plans wisdom. Rather than spend the time to bring her aboard, he tossed her aside continued with his business plans.

There's a lot to say about McDonald's, or about any business. But this isn't a book about McDonald's, it's about the life of the man behind it. It's a quaint book. It doesn't tell you about the pathos of the man's life; he mentions his daughter I believe just once throughout the whole book. Instead, we're given a nostalgic rosey-colored view of what got this man up in the morning, the ideas that chewed at his mind, and his drive to achieve them.

Ray Kroc didn't even become interested in McDonalds until he was in his 50's. In fact, the autobiography is most interesting when discussing the series of events leading up to his making the acquaintance of the McDonald brothers, who had a small family-owned venue which was able to pop out hamburgers for a nickel a piece. Before this time, Kroc worked various odd jobs around the city, during prohibition he even played piano at an illeagal salon. He eventually settled in as a sales-rep, eagerly hopping from one product to another, from one costumer to the next. It might not be the ideal life, but Kroc's enthusiasm sure makes it seem that way. At one point he was truly excited about marketing some type of outdoor fold-in chair that his friend had made - he was positive that it was going to take the world by storm. And later he gets into marketing a product called a multi-mixer, which can make six milk shakes at once! This, he thought, will really bring in the dough.

In the meantime, he hauled from one business to another, trying out various ideas. Some days he would hardly sleep - in one passage in the book, he talks about his tricks for getting to sleep as quickly as possible after his head hit the mat. That way he wouldn't lose valuable time trying to fall asleep.

There are a lot of fun anecdotes in the first third of the book. But what brings the book to the next level is the description of how he stumbled upon the McDonald's brothers, and made their business (unfortunately, without them) one of the most successful businesses of the century. Kroc applies the same raw enthusiasm and smarts, but the scale of his business keeps exponentially increasing. In this section, the nature of the anecdotes changes - they're more like what you would expect, with meeting so-and-so who now has millions of dollars, and striking a deal with so-and-so who is now stinking rich. And then there are still the more humbling stories, which match up with the folding-chair experience above - like the creation of the HulaBurger, a fried pinapple with cheese and fixins in a bun. Kroc thought it was the best thing he had ever tasted, how could it ever fail?

McDonald's didn't change Ray Kroc, it's clear that the business came straight out of a person who knew what people wanted. Throughout the book, Kroc is solving problems, working his hardest, observing human nature. The ideals you see in a young piano-playing or door-peddling Ray are the same ideals that created the double arches. By connecting all of these dots, this autobiography depicts a very inspiring man, albeit from rose-tinted lenses, along with the values of remaining honest, genuine, and business-like.

This is a great book for all entrepreneurs who are starting out and a good reminder for established ones. The title fits the book very well since it does show that Ray did make a lot of gambles to make it all work out and he started out an average middle income citizen like everybody else. Lessons like:
- Sweating it out
- Constantly trying new things
- Learning from mistakes

Very good lessons in business and life.

Although the first few chapters on his biography do not have much to do about business.

It is not often you unearth a business biography that starts your stomach rumbling with hunger while maintaining your attention. No matter what your perception of the fast food hamburger industry, Grinding it Out provides a pleasant look into the origin of franchising and fast food. One will also find some gratification discovering the extent to which Ray Kroc put quality and integrity on an equal basis with profit; something possibly unexpected to those with prior negative perceptions of the mogul due to his abundant wealth.

Anderson provides a wealth of detail outlining the business dealings behind the growth of the McDonalds franchise. This book will be of interest to those with a curiosity towards the making of an industry. I recommend reading this book but suggest doing so with a full stomach.

A very good book, a definite read for anyone looking to learn more about start up business or true entrepreneurship.

Although, I think it's very important to look at the fact that things are much different now of days then when Ray Kroc started up Mcdonalds. It is very inspiring though to find out how old he was when he started this business. Though, it's nice to read of all these young kids starting up business, it's also nice to read about a man in his 50's finally doing a start up that he'd dream t of.

Sure, it happened in the South, but both of the Tokars
were Yankee transplants from NY State. There was
nothing Southern about either of them.

I used to see Fred Tokars' sleazy commercials on
local TV during the '80s. I knew the guy was
a crook then.

I agree with one of the reviewers who thought that the author spent a lot of time making the victim look perfect. I kept wondering why Sara Tokars didn't leave her husband especially since she came from a family with money. I know people who grew up in Amherst, NY and it's a very affluent suburb. Yes, Fred was not a nice person and a terrible husband but Sara could have left him if not for her sake then at least for her sons. Also, the copy editing in this book was very sloppy. I found errors in dates such as Monday, March 7, 1993 instead of Monday, March 7, 1994. Did anyone bother to look at a calendar?

I went to junior high school with Fred Tokars and to senior high school with Sara Ambrusko in Amherst, NY. I knew Fred slightly better however it was only an occasional conversation usually about music. He hung out with a different crowd of friends than I. I do however, remember him as a bit arrogant and somewhat of a "know it all" who would talk to you when he needed information about something. At other times he could walk right by you like he didn't know you. So, the personality traits were already in motion. Sara, on the other hand, was very kind and had a very sweet personality. Somehow I could not really see them together. I guess that Fred did a good job of "putting on a different face" when they dated. After I read about what had happened I was in shock. However, when I started to think about it and especially after I read the book, I could definately see how it happened. I did not know Fred's mother Phyllis but get the impression that she felt her son could do no wrong and maybe that was the start of Fred's problems. It is so hard to understand how someone could be so cold hearted and such a manipulator. I don't know what caused the rift between he and his older sister. I found the book to be well written however it did drag on in some places. It was hard to keep up with the cast of characters and I found myself always looking back to see who was who. I hope that the boys are doing well and that one of Sara's sisters has them. I heard that Sara's father passed away a couple of years ago and I always felt so badly for what the Ambrusko family was put through. I believe that life in prison for Fred is much harder for him to take than the death penalty would have been. I am sure he is still convinced in his mind that he did nothing wrong. It is a very sad story.

I couldn't put it down.

I had a hard time deciding who I disliked more...Fred Tokars (who looks like a stork) or his arrogantly sexist attorney, Jerry Froelich (he never married? Wonder WHY!).

Also, I was SO sick and tired of excuses being made for the gun man, crack addict Curtis Rower....poverty, ad nauseam. (Addiction is a choice and he chose to do drugs! )

Where are these defense attorneys' consciences? I truly believe that some of them would defend Hitler if he could come up with the retainer .

I felt sorry for Sara, but she jumped into a second marriage WAY too fast. There had to be SOME way she could have left abusive, controlling Fred Tokars. There had to be some divorce attorneys around who didn't want $2,500 up front and charge $175 per hour. Why didn't she ask her family for the money?

And Sara's family....the Ambruskos all need counseling desperately. They have let Fred Tokars win because they have allowed him to destroy their lives as well as those of Sara's sons, Rickey and Mike.

NO woman SHOULD stay in that kind of abusive relationship. There are too many other places to go in this day and age...too many resources.

There is a certain type of true crime book that spends a great deal of space making the victim look perfect so the villain looks even blacker. I think this is a ploy that shortchanges the victim and the readers. The author spends so much time telling us how perfect the victim was that she seems more a plaster csst than a real woman who suffered and died.

There was potentially a very powerful story there: the struggle of the family's quest for vengeance (sort of an Old Testament eye for an eye thing) against the defense team who was trying to save the accused from the death penalty with equal passion. Of course the author spends too much time beatifying one side and demonizing the other to write a really good book. I found myself feeling somewhat queasy about some of the actions on both sides. And as someone else complained, there's no explantion as to how these people arrived at the place that led to the tragedy.

Finally, I would like someone to tell me that the title means. Secrets don't lie and they don't tell the truth. They just are-- and sometimes when they are revealed they cause problems for someone.

Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones are planning something big. The problem is, they are the only people who know the details. In fact, almost no one knows they even exist. CIA analyst Hugh Rincon does, however. He also has reason to believe that these two mysterious men were responsible for the explosion that killed a lot of people in Pattaya Beach, Thailand.

As Hugh gathers information, he discovers that terrorists Smith and Jones plan to do some serious damage from somewhere on the Bering Sea to his home state of Alaska. The only way to stop them is to recruit the help of Coast Guard cutter, Sojourner Truth, where his wife is an executive officer.

Dana Stabenow's BLINDFOLD GAME is a clever, first-rate, page-turner I couldn't put down. The plot, seemingly complicated at first, isn't confusing. Main characters, Hugh Rincon and XO Sara Lange, are strong, interesting, and well matched. Stabenow's attention to detail regarding life on board a U.S. Coast Guard cutter not only put me right in the story, but provided interesting information about the responsibilities and danger the Coast Guard faces. Stabenow's descriptions of a ferocious storm at sea had me holding my breath and grateful to be reading the book from the warmth and comfort of home.

Having been to Anchorage recently, it was a treat to read about some of the spots I'd either been to or knew a little about. But it was even more of a treat to discover this award-winning author's work.

Dana Stabenow is well known for her mysteries. In "Blindfold Game," she branches out into a new direction.
Taking her title from the Rudyard Kipling poem, "The Destroyers," Stabenow delves into the murky world of international intrigue, terrorism and politics. But Stabenow stays within the familiar confines of the Last Frontier, for the most part, with a few side trips to Washington, D.C., the Maritime Boundary Line and some minor side trips to South Korea, Thailand and London.
It stars the CIA, the Coast Guard, environmental activists, the FBI and illicit Russian trawlers.
Three childhood friends, who grew up together in a typical Alaskan village, all go into law enforcement: Hugh Rincon is an analyst for the CIA in Langley, Va.; Sara Lange, his estranged wife, is the executive officer on the Coast Guard cutter USS Sojourner Truth patrolling the Bering Sea; and Kyle Chase is an agent for the FBI in Anchorage. Their paths have diverged since growing up--even Rincon and Lange spend most of their 10-year marriage in different places. But in "Blindfold Game," their paths cross professionally--and dangerously.
Rincon discovers someone is buying black market plutonium. It takes him a while, but he realizes the target is America--in fact, the target is Anchorage. His boss, an appointee with no desire to rock anyone's boat, doesn't believe him. That's pretty typical in a thriller plot.
Eventually, he discovers that the Sojourner Truth is the only American asset that can stop the attack, but the risks are great that Lange will not survive.
There's a lot going on in this book--international terrorists, bombings, piracy, double-and triple-crossing among the bad guys, death, dismemberment, torture, marital discord, career crises even the nature of old friendships come in for discussion. It's tiring, to be honest.
And confusing. There are some plot points that just don't make sense--the book opens with a bomb exploding in Pattaya Beach, Thailand. No one in the novel understands the significance of the target--and neither does the reader. The explanation later--that it was a test run for the bigger picture involving Anchorage--is a bit too theatrical.
The characters are well-drawn, and the reader can become emotionally involved in the outcome and their fate. They are also almost clichés in some ways: There's the guy who couldn't wait to get out of Dodge (Rincon), the girl who is torn between the land, the man and the job (Lange), and the guy who can think of no place else he'd rather raise a family (Chase).
Stabenow has her details pretty well nailed down, especially when it comes to the Coast Guard. She spent 16 days patrolling with the USCG cutter Alex Haley as research for this book, and it shows. The scenes on Sojourner Truth are sharp and clear, easy to see and become a part of.
But the rest--well, there's some work that needs to be done.
Being a thriller fan, I've probably read hundreds of this type of book, by the well-known and barely known. So it was easy for me to find a few problems with the plot itself--most of the set-up is unbelievable. It seems improbable that two people with a wish (I won't get any more specific because I don't want to ruin it for readers) to foster and implement such a grand-scale and wide-ranging conspiracy could manage it alone, and their motive is flimsy and dubious.
The set-up is long and involved, and the ending comes about way too quickly--like a snowball going downhill. Not only does it move fast, but it gets bigger and more difficult to believe with each foot.
And the ending--well, let's just say it was unfulfilling. First on the "Huh?" list is the epilogue, when the powers-that-be are discussing the incident. With seven Americans dead, including a Coast Guard captain, and 13 wounded, not to mention the foreign nationals killed during the pirating, the bombing and subsequent military actions, I think the government would have looked really hard for a money source. Maybe they did, but Stabenow leaves us with this: "We don't know yet, sir. We have some leads, which we are tracing now, and ..."
See what I mean?
The other thing that really bothered me was the fact that the terrorists were successful, in that their "dirty bomb" was detonated, and civilians died--albeit it years later--as a result. The callous (and unmentionably stupid in these days of 24/7 news) reaction of the administration seemed unrealistic as well.
And on a technical note; Stabenow needs a new editor. Not only were there numerous typos and other misspellings, but some fact-checking should have been done. When the bomb went off in Thailand, it had everyone wondering who was behind it, and the Irish Republican Army was named as a possibility. But the IRA had--before the cease-fire, anyway--as its goal to drive England out of Ireland. Bombing a restaurant in Thailand is not something that would have brought them closer to that goal. There are enough suspect organizations out there--one that is a viable threat would have been easier to swallow.
Bottom line; If you're a Stabenow fan, you'll read this because you're a Stabenow fan. If you like thrillers, you might want to wait until she's a little more seasoned in this genre.

My one complaint with the book was that it was not 100 pages longer. The writing is completely engrossing, from the vividly detailed descriptions both of setting and action to the intriguing plot that built up logically in disclosure as the story went along, yet still managed to have a surprise element in its conclusion. The story is set in the Alaskan waters incorporating the elements of international fishing, the US Coast Guard and modern day bad guys with an ingenious way of carrying out a contemporary threat. Characterization is colorful. Even the bad guys are humanized, though they never to the extent that they could be wished well. All in all, a very interesting read.

This book was a different subject content for Stabenow. I consider it one of her best books. It is good reading, entertaining, and fast moving.

Dana Stabenow writes forcefully about the majesty of the Alaskan wilderness. I always consider a trip every time I finish one of her stories. The passion to protect her home state and to admire and uphold the native population is as familiar to her as to her favorite brand of coffee. The characters and plot of this book are as challenging as they are engaging. I had to evaluate who had the perception of the most to gain or loose in order to figure out "who-done-it". I really enjoy participating in the climax and ending even when I am wrong.

I found this book to be very helpful in planning my stable for public use. It has given me good ideas on planning, marketing and various programs to consider. It's also given me a good start on planning my budget for this project. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to move past the horse boarding only business.

I found this book to be an extremely fun read. I firmly believe that the foundation to any successful business is marketing because if people don't know your business then you have no clients. This book gives some creative ideas to advertise your business along with some fun money-maker activities to plan. However, it is not a very complete guide to starting and running a horse business because there is a lot more to think about when starting a business than colors and horse shows. This is why I find the title to be a bit misleading. I bought this book along with "Business Planner and Bookkeeper for the Horse Enterprise" and found the two books to be an extremely helpful pair. As with any business though, one or two books can not teach you how to be successful. To anyone who is serious about starting a business, I recommend reading as many books as possible about running a business, not just this one.

This book is a great guide for management on a cost-effective basis. Excellent! Great for the beginner to understand and very informative.
I bought it for my daughter and she could understand what running a horse business would entail. A great way to learn for a youngster that has no idea of what they are saying when they say they want to run their own business. All aspects of a business are looked at in a basic way.Starting & Running Your Own Horse Business

The book covered a good range of topics. I found several new ideas well worth using in starting our business. The book was definately well worth buying!

It should really have more important information, such as a summery of costs, tips on picking the perfect horse fo lessons, hiring staff, stuff that you REALLY need to know about starting your own business. Other then that, it's really a great and imformative book.

I appreciate the book and it helps to understand how to create nice animations by using maths.
I think it needs more Classes writing and not only timeline.

Though it's in ActionScript 2.0, this book is very good if you're into creating visualizations via programming (not only ActionScript). It shows the creative and logical process behind the code (I think that's much more important that the code itself). And it's also a beautiful book to add to your collection :-)

And you can also download all the .fla used in the examples.

This book is stunning visually and is just overflowing with inspiration. This is a book intended to show us what the Flash community has been able to come up in terms of creation and allows us to tinker around with the code. If you like to take a basic principle and see it evolve given enough time and interest, then this is the book for you. If you enjoy seeing "how" things function rather than "why" they work, you have the opportunity to tinker and toy with the variables to see exactly "how" it changes the overall look of the final piece. To get the most from this book the reader is expected to understand the basics of ActionScript as well as the techniques common in most projects. This is not intended to deter the beginner, as you will surely learn much.

The book is laid out pretty straightforward. There are 15 chapters with each one dedicated to a certain individual who goes through each of his creations and iterations.Suggested reading by the people at "Friends of Ed" is to grab the source files, run them, and then read the chapters. Some of the source files are adequately commented so in some, the book isn't even needed. That is not to say, however, that this book is not necessary to understand what's going on. The book gives you quick insight to the authors' mindset and thinking, and each chapter begins with an overview of where they are from, what they do, how they have come to do this, and interests.

There are actually two parts to the book. The second part consists of the last three chapters and has what you'd consider an "application" or an "engine" for viewing the creations and being able to manipulate them directly. The first part of the book is dedicated to finding a variable, which for the most part is explained in the book, changing it to your liking, viewing the results, and reviewing the code. At the end of the book there is a Tangents page which provides 54 links to explore.

In case you are wondering where the math fits in, it's scattered throughout the book. However, sometimes, we are not presented with the reasons for using "128" for variable "p" to multiply by var "b" which has the value of "14". You may often be left scratching your head and asking why, but that isn't the point. Sine and Cosine are presented quite clearly in the first chapter and there is a terrific example from Gabriel Mulzer, but if you are looking to the find the mysteries behind using atan2 to get an angle, then this book will not answer that question. It is up to you to play the part of explorer to find those answers. You are presented with a wealth of methods that people use, inspiration for them, and experiments that the reader is encouraged to break. You are given a chance to use these methods to have fun and use them as springboards to access that creativity that lurks in each and every one of us.

In conclusion, if you enjoy going through code with a fine toothed comb and if you want to pick up valuable techniques for doing certain things with Flash, as well as be dazzled by some of the innovators of our time, get the book. It is the perfect culmination of what Flash ActionScripting can do. I would show the table of contents at this point, but all of the chapters are named after the innovators themselves, and would provide little insight to the contents.

The Flash Math books are great. But not if you want an O'Reilly cookbook of answers to your design problems. It's all about inspiration. Being able to look at something and say "wow, that's so beautiful" and either need to make it yourself just on principal, or see that maybe one day you can use the idea yourself on all those practical things you're so worried about. If you get all juiced up creatively from the things you see around you, this is a perfect book. It's 4 instead of 5 because it doesn't come with a CD. But you can go to the website for the book and see things in action.

That probably appealed to the left brain folks.

For the right brain ones among you. No, this will not teach math. No it won't explain much in the math department at all. It does give the code, it allows you to experiment with what Flash will do, it might renew your interest in Flash. Kind of like watching one of the a-lister Flash kids talk at a Flash Forward conference, it might do that more than looking at a Hockney photo collage (both work for me). If you don't work that way, buy it and give it to one of your left brain Flash friends.

It will be great fun for them, they will get to feel like they remember their math and are much better at it now. And it will make pretty things.

The book is great. I find the negative reviews puzzling because this book is like a $30 kit for a working spaceship, but you have to weld the wings on yourself. Big deal. What's wanting in so many Flash books are examples of the astonishing things you can do with Flash. This book shows what can be done, then hands you the code on a platter. I guess if you're more the designer type and you want to do great stuff using the math functions in Flash, you, um, er -- need to learn some math. But don't complain that every author hasn't lined up to correct your particular brand of ignorance. Read a book.