Mortgage-Backed Securities: Products, Analysis, Trading

Book Description

Bob Artley’s Cowtoons is a delightful look at the author’s own love-hate relationship with cows. From the mud and mess of March to the hot, humid cowbarn of summer; from welcoming spring’s first calf to milking sessions that also included important life discussions with Dad, Artley presents farm life with just the right amount of whimsy, nostalgia, and wisdom. "Bob Artley’s Cowtoons" is a collection of drawings from his popular series ""Memories of a Former Kid"" that has been syndicated in daily and weekly newspapers across the United States since the 1970s. The book was originally published as "Living with Cows." About the Author: Bob Artley is considered one of the country’s foremost recorders of farm history. His wonderful artwork and stories reflect his sense of country nostalgia and farm heritage and speak to anyone with a farming background, and to those who yearn for simpler times.

Customer Reviews:

An amusing anthology of cartoons depicting farm life.......2004-11-08

Cowtoons: Living With Cows is an amusing anthology of cartoons depicting the lighter side of farm life, from the mud and general mess of March to the oppressively hot and humid cowbarns of summer, and much more. The whimsical black-and-white drawings will induce a chuckle in anyone, but will strike an particularly deep chord in the hearts and minds of former or current farmers themselves, especially dairy farmers. A superb giftbook and a celebration of dairy farming heritage, as well as a just plain funny read.

Amazon.com

You know the feeling. One day you're patting your bulging tummy, dreaming up names for your little future President ... and the next thing you know, you find yourself rooting for Ernie from Sesame Street to win the People's Choice Award for Best Actor or hearing "innocent" questions like: "Uh, Mom, how do you put out a fire?" You love them, but some days you dream of escaping -- to the moon. This is the hilarious and inspirational story of one harassed woman's one-day escape from momhood, and her surprising discoveries about the place where Glory dwells: her very own home.

Customer Reviews:

Vintage Nancy.......2001-07-19

I loved it...but I've loved all of Nancy Kennedy's books. I identify with her ups and downs. What mother--if honest--has not wanted to pack it in and just run away at some point. Nancy's books are down-to-earth and something I can identify with. They are substantive, and side-splittingly funny.

Average customer rating:
The Genius Of The Early English Theater
Barnet & Others
Manufacturer: New American Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K6G6YS

Average customer rating:
The Genius of the Early English Theater
Sylvan, Berman, Morton, Burto, William Barnet
Manufacturer: New York: New American Library, 1962
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NXQIBY

Average customer rating:
The Genius of the Early English Theater
Sylvan Barnet , and Morton Berman
Manufacturer: New American Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Anthologies | British & Irish | Canadian | Children's | Classical & Early | Comedy | Continental European | Eastern | General | Greek & Roman | History | Playwrights, A-Z | Religious & Liturgical | Tragedy | United States
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The Genius of the Early English Theater
Unknown
Manufacturer: Mentor
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THE GENIUS OF THE EARLY ENGLISH THEATER

Manufacturer: Mentor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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THE GENIUS OF THE EARLY ENGLISH THEATER

Manufacturer: Mentor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IEDBB8

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The Genius of the Early English Theater
Sylvan; Berman, Morton; Burto, William (eds.) Barnet
Manufacturer: New American Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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THE GENIUS OF THE EARLY ENGLISH THEATER

Manufacturer: Mentor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IEDBDG

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The Genius of the Early English Theater (A Mentor Book, MQ438)

Manufacturer: New American Library
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Book Description

"The Tao is great, the king is also great."--Lao Tzu

"I'm a soul, a spirit, a force. I have no interest in anything of this world. I want
to live in another dimension entirely."--Elvis Presley

"Elvis thought the Tao was just another name for God."--Larry Geller,
Elvis's spiritual adviser and friend

Elvis Presley was an intensely spiritual man. Gospel was his music of choice, and his life--from innocence to addiction, from obscurity to fame, from "Hound Dog" to "Love Me Tender"--was one long quest to balance opposites. The Tao of Elvis is the first attempt to illustrate Elvis's Taoist nature and interpret his never-ending search for purpose and meaning. Highlighting Elvis's journey from light into dark, Jungian expert and Elvis scholar David Rosen explores and examines his life through the structure of the Tao Te Ching. In reflections on forty-two Taoist concepts--one for each year of Elvis's life--Rosen reveals how the Tao, a mysterious force, was and is operating through America's king. Like the Tao, Elvis is everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

Readable Taoist Meditation and Warholian Perspective on the Nature of Cultural Iconicity.......2007-01-10

The King said it: "You've got to have rain in order to have a rainbow," (p. 99).

This book is really two books in one, and where they meet is literally in the mind of the reader. The first is the highly refined, imminently informed Taoist meditation, with some truly stunning quotations and through them, editorial injection on the part of author David Rosen. I'm no Taoist scholar, but you can sure tell that Rosen is, a highly accomplished and traveled one at that, and his take on this book is not that of a snarky intellectual art-flack winking at you as he cleverly links the pure and sublime with its apparent earthly incarnation in the form of Elvis. Rosen is serious here, and it comes through immediately.

The preface and introduction are quite good--my kudos to the editor and Rosen--providing a great view of author Rosen, where he's coming from with this book, and his qualifications to write it. These two pieces up front really set the tone of the book, and do it very well.

The structure of the rest of the book is very straightforward, a series of short chapters with thematic titles such as "Opposites," Giving and Generosity," "Alone and Loneliness," and "Spirit, Soul, and Religion." Each chapter begins with a single quote on the theme of the chapter, from someone, anyone, who spoke well upon it, such as Kahlil Gibran saying, "You [Elvis] have walked among us as a spirit," on the theme of "Sprit, Soul, and Religion." There then follows a few choice Taoist quotes on the theme, from those so qualified to do it, such as Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, Ho-Shang Kung, etc. Mirroring these Taoist quotes are quotes and observations from The King himself, as well as those who knew him, including James Brown, Larry Geller, Ann-Margret, Bono, Linda Thompson, K. D. Lang, Natalie Wood, Bruce Springsteen, Muhammad Ali, Jimmy Carter, etc. The chapter then concludes with a short Rosen narrative elaborating upon and contextualizing the theme and quotes.

I found this structure to read very well and quickly, which made it quite enjoyable. The themes change quickly, and you can move through the book quickly if you choose, or you may choose to pause and contemplate. It took me a couple of chapters to see it, and then it hit: the book's narrative structure is Taoist in itself. Outstanding.

The book concludes with two truly wonderful additions. First, there are detailed endnotes, more than enough for you to pursue your curiosity in any of the issues, themes, and respondents in this book. Immediately following is a comprehensive bibliography providing full information to support the notes.

Given the depth of the scholarly attention to detail here, I'm surprised Rosen and his editorial crew did not provide an index. This would have been a simple and very helpful addition to the book, especially given the depth and number of individual names offered throughout the book.

For me, the most enjoyable part of this book was reading the thematically-grouped quotes and observations from Elvis and those close to him. Of course, there was some over-deification, the glorification of Elvis, making the somewhat predictable hyperbolic comparisons and delivering spot-on hindsight views of how he lived his life and how it would all turn out, but thankfully these were few and far between. I loved the snippets from The Gospel of Elvis, the views on his love of music, his voice, his innate rhythm, and his ability to influence others.

In conclusion, this is not a deep, thick scholarly tome crammed tight with big words on dry subjects, not even close. Rosen is definitely in his element with this subject matter, but he keeps the flow fast and positive, and does not bog down the reader with philosophical jargon or analysis, rather letting the reader draw their own meaning(s) from the quotes and ideas offered. If you're a die-hard philosophy addict looking for deep examination of Taoist concepts in the context of Elvis, rock and roll, destructive stardom, and the nature of cultural icon creation and downfall, this isn't what you're after. This book also is not another low-budget Elvis exploitation rag. Its treatment of him is respectful and positive throughout, even while admitting The King's flaws and human failings. If you're an Elvis fan, you'll enjoy this.

Spiritual insight into american royalty..........2003-01-16

This book is a meditation. Rosen offers contempletive fragments of both Taoist philosophy and the words of and about Elvis that bring to the reader a compelling cache of connections between American myth and ancient understanding. It is material to be read and read again, both as a mediataive handbook for individual contemplation, and as a key step towards fulfilling a critical need for consciousness of a national psychology.

Elvis Lives!!.......2002-07-29

NOT JUST FOR ELVIS FANS ...

David Rosen's book reads like a meditation. He begins with two questions: "Why does Elvis' popularity persist?" and "What does that say about our culture?" He then tries to address these questions through a series of devotions centered around Taoist concepts. There are 42 devotions, one for each year of Elvis' life.

Dr. Rosen is clear that his objective is not to diagnose Elvis - as trying to define such a mythic figure would be like (in Lao Tzu's words) trying to "pin a butterfly: the husk is captured, but the flying is lost" (p. 145). Like the Tao, Elvis is a mystery full of contradiction. He is elusive. And Rosen tells us that the contradictory images of Elvis are not only what keep him alive for us - they have the potential to be the source of our own healing. The book is a compassionate work that seeks to restore this cultural icon - not through revision (e.g., trying to show that Elvis was on some path of enlightenment and made it) but rather through understanding that in the archetypal Elvis lies our own struggle with our dual nature. (Rosen focuses mainly on the double-edged quality of the King archetype - how it can function either as a channel to the divine or a destructive mechanism for the one who tries to live it out in human form.) What I like about this approach is that it emanates from a belief in the possibility of redemption - for Elvis and for us. For while "wholeness" (a Jungian ideal) may not have been achieved by Elvis in his lifetime, we can, in a sense, make him whole by finding meaning in his suffering (something he was not able to do himself) and by living according to what we learn.

Rosen uses technical terms derived from depth psychology (particularly Jung and Winnicott), e.g., archetypes, true self, false self, creative soul, shadow, and persona, but doesn't provide much explanation (although the uninitiated reader should be able to understand the concepts generally on the basis of context). As this is not a scholarly work but a meditation I think his approach makes sense. However, as a psychotherapist, I would like to have seen more text devoted to the process of individuation which Elvis, according to Rosen, was not able to complete. (Personally, I think Elvis' individuation is a failure only if we think of individuation as a completely linear process. As Rosen writes, Elvis vacillated between positions of insight and self-destruction - and this is likely what accounts for our ambivalence toward him: he is both the talented hero/rebel deserving of admiration and an obnoxious caricature who evokes disdain or pity. Perhaps there is wholeness in that.) For example, toward the end of the book, he writes "... Elvis felt there was little he could do to change. Of course, he could have done something, if he'd only been willing. He could have channeled his rage into killing his false self, then undergone a symbolic death of his self-destructive self and rebirth of his creative true self ..." (p. 145). But this is the first mention of Elvis' rage and it isn't altogether clear how this process could have transformed Elvis. Such a quick treatment may give the reader the false impression that Dr. Rosen thinks this is an easy achievement (perhaps owing to his modesty, he does not mention that he has written extensively on this process in another book, Transforming Depression: Healing the Soul through Creativity, although it is in his bibliography). And if we focus too much on Elvis' failed transformation, it is easy for us to miss one of Rosen's main points: that our awareness of our own weakness and vulnerability is the fountainhead of empathy. Elvis had this awareness (at least some of the time) along with a great capacity to care for others.

The quotes are interesting and fun, from myriad cultural sources - including Elvis himself - ranging from the popular (John Lennon, Bono, Bruce Springsteen) to the religious (Lao Tzu, Thomas Merton, and Martin Buber); however, my favorite passages were those in which Dr. Rosen speaks from his own experience.

Overall, The Tao of Elvis is a loving tribute to a cherished cultural figure who was, like all of us, a flawed human being.

Elvis lives!!.......2002-07-29

NOT JUST FOR ELVIS FANS ...

Rosen uses technical terms derived from depth psychology (particularly Jung and Winnicott), e.g., archetypes, true self, false self, creative soul, shadow, and persona, but doesn't provide much explanation (although the uninitiated reader should be able to understand the concepts generally on the basis of context). As this is not a scholarly work but a meditation I think his approach makes sense. However, as a psychotherapist, I would like to have seen more text devoted to the process of individuation which Elvis, according to Rosen, was not able to complete. (Personally, I think Elvis' individuation is only a failure if we think of individuation as a completely linear process. As Rosen writes, he vacillated between positions of insight and self-destruction - and this is likely what accounts for our ambivalence toward him: he is both the talented hero deserving of awe and a caricature who evokes disdain or pity. Perhaps there is wholeness in that.) For example, toward the end of the book, he writes "... Elvis felt there was little he could do to change. Of course, he could have done something, if he'd only been willing. He could have channeled his rage into killing his false self, then undergone a symbolic death of his self-destructive self and rebirth of his creative true self ..." (p. 145). But this is the first mention of Elvis' rage and it isn't altogether clear how this process could have transformed Elvis. Such a quick treatment may give the reader the false impression that Dr. Rosen thinks this is an easy achievement (perhaps owing to his modesty, he does not mention that he has written extensively on this process in another book, "Transforming Depression: Healing the Soul through Creativity," although it is in his bibliography). And if we focus too much on Elvis' failed transformation, it is easy for us to miss one of Rosen's main points: that our awareness of our own weakness and vulnerability is the fountainhead of empathy. Elvis had this awareness (at least some of the time) along with a great capacity to care for others.

Overall, "The Tao of Elvis" is a loving tribute to a cherished cultural figure who was, like all of us, a flawed human being.

Average customer rating:

Ho hum.

Information that should have been in the core rules books

Mindwalking: A Guide to Psionics (Alternity Sci-Fi Roleplaying)
Jennifer Clarke Wilkes
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Role Playing & Fantasy | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0786913843

Book Description

An intruder renders security cameras inoperable with a single thought. A government official wakes up in a theater with no recollection of how she got there. A lonely child plays hide-and-seek with the man he will one day become.

Mindwalking is more than it used to be. Now it offers a whole new range of possibilities: Mystics delve deeper into tomorrow, masters of time and space greet their future selves, and biowarriors create the finest blades with only their minds.

Inside this 96-page book you'll find:
--Revised rules for creating Mindwalkers and talents.
--New psionic skills, perks, and flaws.
--Three complete systems for mind-to-mind combat.
--Detailed guidelines for creating psionics-based ALTERNITY campaigns, or exploring psionics in your existing campaign.
--More than twenty-five new careers for Mindwalkers and talents.
--New psionic equipment, artifacts, and phenomena.
--Psionic opponents and creatures to challenge players.
--Guidelines for adapting and expanding these rules to fit any science fiction genre.

Customer Reviews:

Ho hum........2000-10-25

I like Alternity; a very nice rules system with a pleasant, if not terribly inspired space opera setting and an X-files style modern setting. This book is a psionics add-on to the base system that provides some interesting genre notes and a minor additions to the rules, but, to be honest, the core rules cover it in plenty of detail for most purposes (I disagree with Thomas Denmark over this, obviously). If you want to go into a lot of psionics related detail in a game, maybe think about this book. Otherwise, pass.

Information that should have been in the core rules books.......2000-06-08

I almost wanted to give this product 3 stars, because the production value is very good, but the content is too lacking in material. Psionics are such a basic staple of science fiction, and this book treats it in an adequate, if uninspired manner. Apparantly the purpose of this book was to provide generic information to be used in any kind of campaign, but it comes across so generic that it has no flavor. Alternity is a noble attempt, but drops short of its goal of creating the definitive sci-fi game. The fact that the information in "Mindwalking" is in a separate supplement is proof that Alternity is lacking. Note to Wizard of the Coast: next time you do a sci-fi game, put a full treatment of psionics in the core rules books.

Book Description

This book offers guided access to a collection of algorithms for the digital manipulation and analysis of images. Written in classic "cookbook" style, it reflects the authors' long experience as users and developers of image analysis algorithms and software. For each task, they present a description and implementation of the most suitable procedure in easy-to-use form. The algorithms range from the simplest steps to advanced functions not commonly available for Windows users. Each self-contained section treats a single operation (histogram evaluation, low-pass filtering, and edge detection, among others). The coverage includes typical situations requiring that operation and then discusses the algorithm and implementation. Sections start with a header illustrating the nature of the procedure through a "before" and "after" pictorial example and a ready-reference that lists typical applications, keywords, and related procedures. Annotated references can be found at the end of each section. An accompanying CD-ROM contains a collection of C programs for carrying out the book's procedures.

Customer Reviews:

More of a toolbox than a textbook.......2007-04-07

I already knew image processing when I bought this book, so I am not sure how it would appear to the novice seeking a textbook on the subject of image processing and analysis, but I imagine it could be somewhat confusing. I always recommend Gonzales and Wood's "Digital Image Processing" for those seeking a clear read on image processing and analysis from the ground up. Where Seul's book comes in is with clear descriptions and working code for many basic - and some not so basic - image processing and image analysis algorithms. The book is also very good at explaining the applications of the various transforms. One of the little things that the author of this book does that authors of other books similar to it don't bother to do is to realize that when you are working in image processing you likely have an image as an input and you want an image as an output. Thus the author has built his code libraries so that they work that way. You are not left with arrays of pixels that you have to figure out how to store and manage. In the end you have a nice functional toolbox of working image processing and analysis subroutines that you can chain together and make just about any type of image transform tool you could think of. I'm mainly interested in image effects, and I know this book has been useful to me. The accompanying CD-ROM contains all of the C source code for the algorithms so that you can port them to another language or tinker with them if you so desire. Highly recommended.

Good handbook for practitioners.......2007-01-30

The title of this book corresponds to its content, the tutorial gives an excellent overview of basic key points to those readers who are unfamiliar with the subject (as I was). The book can not be used for rigorous study of even simple things but rather kicks you with essentials that are easy to understand with high-school background. This book, written for non-specialists in "image field", gives them techniques for their practical needs and concentrates exactly on image analysis, not on image processing. If you have no time to go through more complex (and deeper) books, take this one to discover basic principles in short form with no attempt to explain the fundamentals. The authors just put you into the facts, so that is why I would characterize the "Practical Algorithms" book as being "handbook". The good point is that the areas of applicability of these facts are explained, the drawback: you have to go to other books to get more details on image processing roots, e. g., to R. Gonzalez and R. Woods' "Digital Image Processing". I bought both, and use them as good annex to each other. The "Practical Algorithms" has lack of some significant areas, like snake algorithm and image binarization (thresholding) techniques but e.g., the cellular processing is quite well highlighted.
Surprisingly, the CD that comes along with this book gave me almost 80% examples that I was able to recompile instantly, and only several examples have failed, mainly due to image file format issues. The source code is not both elegant and bugless, but it is very transparent and portable and can easily fit, e.g., a 16-bit microcontroller.
Overall, this is good book for fast start. You can get real output and pick up ideas on practical side of image analysis. Just remember, the most book examples came from the medicine world, so they are quite specific and may not be implemented directly in your particular application.

Image Analysis Book Review.......2004-12-06

I found the book to be very informative and I acquired several ideas from reading it. But, I repeatedly found myself searching the book for definitions of some of the terms it uses throughout its text. Practical Algorithms for Image Analysis will introduce new terms without any hint of their meaning, assuming that the reader already knows all they need to know about the subject matter (which would negate the need to buy the book!). This book sorely needs a glossary.

It's just great.......2002-10-15

The book is just great! I used the source code from the CD-ROM for various image processing projects. The algorithms are also very practical if you have to deal with images. The code is neat and ready to compile and run.

Also this book is good on the description of image process and image analysis algorithms. I read the whole book and use it as a reference during my programming. It sits in my bookshelf and I use it almost everyday.

I recommend anybody who wishes to do serious image programming to have this book. It's just great!

Luis J Gutierrez.......2001-04-22

Excelente libro. hace un tiempo que he estado estudiando y desarrollando estrategias para la implementación de sistemas de vision computarizada. Este libro es de una gran claridad práctica sin abandonar la necesaria base teorica. Muy buenos ejemplo, información adicional, ejemplos y aplicaciones. Para cualquier investigador en el área debe ser considerado como un recurso indispensable. (if you want my comments in english please send me an e-mail to innovacl@vtr.net)

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