Quantitative Techniques: An Instructional Manual

Book Description

ONLINE JOURNEY THROUGH® ASTRONOMY is a complete online introductory astronomy course with a student companion workbook. It is available in four configurations: a complete two-term course, a brief course, a solar system course, and a stars and galaxies course. It is intended as a stand-alone product, but can be bundled with any Brooks/Cole Thomson Learning introductory astronomy book. ONLINE JOURNEY THROUGH® ASTRONOMY modules contain text supported by images and more than 400 interactive animations and simulations, links to other web sites, objectives, graded exercises, quizzes with immediate feedback, additional exercises, critical-thinking exercises, problems, glossary, index, and astronomical calculators. The Student Companion is available to accompany any of the courses. A complete Instructor's Implementation Guide provides chapters that describe how to create and manage an online course, sample syllabi, chapter objectives, and teaching tips for specific topics by chapter. It also gives navigation detials and technical requirements.

Book Description

Each spring, Tee-ball introduces millions of boys and girls to "America's pastime" --and introduces their parents to the joys (and nightmares) of coaching first-time players. Filled with expert advice and tips on creating order from chaos, Coaching Tee-Ball is the solution to every baffled parent's predicament, offering the new coach a total approach to keeping kids involved, motivated, and having fun.

Customer Reviews:

A Good T-Ball Reference.......2005-03-27

This was one of the books I chose for my inaugural season as a T-ball coach. In my search for reference material I've found that for as many books as there are out there for all manner of sports, books on T-ball are in short supply... good ones anyway. This book runs through coaching T-ball from beginning to end. Not just on the field stuff but pre-season, pre-game, post-game, parent relations, etc. I doubt just one book will contain all the information that a new coach needs but this one comes pretty close. If your a new coach I'm sure you will find alot in this book that will help to prepare you for the upcoming season. The reason for only 4 stars though is that I would like to see the drills and exercise section enlarged (surely the author, who is the co-founder and president of the T-ball USA association, can come up with more drills or ideas for creative learning than what is presented in this book). Overall... probably the best choice for T-ball reference I could recommend at this time.

Coaching Tee-Ball (The Baffled Parent's Guide Series)

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Coaching Tee-Ball (The Baffled Parent's Guide Series)
H. W. Broido
Manufacturer: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OFQAI2

Book Description

Over 40 years of publishing experience and the oldest establishment rating system in North America makes the Mobil Travel Guide series a "must have" for travelers wanting up-to-date ratings on hotels and restaurants. This guide covers Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Mobil Travel Guide New York & New Jersey 2003 (Mobil Travel Guide New York)

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Mobil Travel Guide New York & New Jersey 2003 (Mobil Travel Guide New York)
Mobil Travel Guide
Manufacturer: Mobil Travel Guide
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

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Mobil Travel Guide Mid-Atlantic 2003 (Mobil Travel Guide Mid-Atlantic (Dc, De, MD, Nj, Pa, Va, Wv))

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Mobil Travel Guide Mid-Atlantic 2003 (Mobil Travel Guide Mid-Atlantic (Dc, De, MD, Nj, Pa, Va, Wv))
Mobil Travel Guide
Manufacturer: Mobil Travel Guide
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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A uniquely captivating and thought-provoking novel of great emotion

Become Captivated by Collie's Captivity

Psychological Suspense

Collie's Captivity is an ambitious start

What an unusual book! Great!

Collie's Captivity in the Monarchy of the Kingdom's Realm
John Michael O'Loughlin
Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Pink Room

ASIN: 141849352X

Book Description

Framed by America's enemies for a crime she didn't commit. Fifteen-year-old Colleen Lee "Collie" Knight is on trial for her life in a foreign land. If she's found guilty, then the Monarchy of The Kingdom's Realm will off the American teen a blindfold as she stands in front of their military firing squad. Will Collie be spared from sitting in her prison cell waiting in fearful anticipation for her execution day to arrive? Can the efforts of her friends and family and American President Virgina Watker save Collie if she's found guilty by the Grand Council of the Realm and sentenced to Death?

Customer Reviews:

A uniquely captivating and thought-provoking novel of great emotion.......2007-03-20

Do you remember that episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation where Wesley Crusher was sentenced to die for some comical offense (I think it was walking on the grass) on some alien planet? This novel is sort of like that, except this time around you actually want the life of the "criminal" to be spared (oh, how I begged and pleaded for Wesley's execution). Collie is a fifteen year old girl studying in a foreign country (the Monarchy of the Realm) who makes the youthful mistake of accompanying her boyfriend onto the palace grounds to snap a few pictures of the royal family. She knew it was wrong, but she did it anyway. What she didn't know is that this mistake would win her an appointment with a firing squad in nine months time. At 15, Collie is an adult in the eyes of the Realm. Still, the head of the Grand Council seems willing to overlook the most serious charge and simply exile Collie from the realm - until, that is, Colonel Douglas Ira inserts himself into the proceedings. The vehemently anti-American colonel sees Collie as a pawn he can exploit to shatter any hope of a future Realm-American alliance and boost his own career at the same time. Lost and alone in this foreign land, with no lawyer to guide her, Collie quickly finds herself sentenced to the worst of fates.

Even with a furious American public decrying the Realm's barbarity and the American President desperately pursuing any and all courses to secure Collie's release, Collie's Captivity in the Monarchy of the Realm is no political thriller. John Michael O'Loughlin speaks principally to the heart and soul of the reader, as he explores America's attempts to understand the foreign Realm culture, Collie's attempts to come to terms with her unfortunate and completely unexpected place in life, and the reaction of Realm society to Collie's experience in captivity. As events progress, the dichotomy between right and wrong (good and evil) - the lines of which were drawn emphatically in the beginning - become blurred as Collie proves her inner strength and fortitude in the face of torturous conditions, wins over the hearts of those responsible for her care in prison, and begins to actually embrace aspects of Realm culture. Privately, she begins to come to terms with her impending death, drawing on a number of wonderful memories of her family and friends and seeking forgiveness for the wrongs she has done. As her conditions radically change for the better, she finds a great deal of happiness and sheds herself of all regrets.

Even though she is happy and no longer alone, she is still fated to die - and that only makes things even more confusing to the American administration working to win her release. With the help of an expert on the Realm, the American President and her advisors are given an intensive course on intercultural relations. While no one outside Realm culture could truly understand its many facets, we all begin to see how these very different peoples can view and interpret something so very differently than we can - and that this does not make them bad people. As the power conclave in the Oval Office offers up different strategies for saving Collie's life, it becomes clear that the only hope for the solution everyone wants is the establishment of some kind of productive dialogue between two cultures that distrust one another because no bridge of understanding has ever been forged between them.

I was really quite captivated by this novel. While it does tend to be over-written in places and is more than a tad melodramatic and idyllic, the story truly touches your heart on numerous occasions. Collie could not be a more lovable young lady, and the thought of her looming execution is too tragic to even contemplate. The story begs all kinds of important questions: When is the individual more valuable than the group? Is one human life worth going to war over? How can two cultures who see life so differently come together to find common ground? Additionally, the reader can't help but put himself in Collie's place, wondering if he could have shown even an ounce of the fortitude and moral wisdom of Collie if put in her extremely difficult situation. As O'Loughlin shows us, one person can make a huge difference in the world.

Readers should be aware going in that this is the first book in a series, so you won't find ultimate closure in the final pages of this first entry. You will, however, find much food for thought and get to know a truly inspiring young lady whose incredible aura of love and goodness cannot help but affect you and your own viewpoint on life.

Become Captivated by Collie's Captivity.......2007-01-04

Fifteen year old Colleen Leah Knight and her boyfriend have journeyed to the Kingdom of the Realm with their school to learn about this fascinating country and gain respect for its history and traditions. However, their joyous sojourn soon turns into a dreadful dirge as Colleen commits a misdemeanor according to Realm law and is sentenced to die within a few months before a firing squad. Judged as an adult by Realm standards, Americans are outraged since they still consider Collie to be a child and feel that her crime is minor and certainly not worthy of the weighty penalty assigned to it. Will America be able to save her wayward child? Will Collie be able to withstand the mental anguish inflicted by the hateful Colonel Ira, the man who wishes to break her spirit before the entire world? Will she remain strong and independent and thus through her honorable conduct teach those of the Realm to respect American culture? Or will she, as the Colonel hopes, crumble before his mental assault and reveal her repelling weakness to the world?

Although I am a highly finicky person, especially when it comes to literary qualities, I was unable to find even one fault in this beautiful tale. I don't often call a novel beautiful; to be quite honest few deserve the title. So, it is not lightly that I complement this work. This is not, like so many modern titles, junk food fiction. Although there are so many wondrous aspects of this tale, including good characterization and a strong solid plot, the main quality that grasped my attention and endowed this novel with a "beautiful" aura was the sheer magnitude of poignancy and deep contemplation of those things which truly matter. Through Collie's struggles and emotional dilemmas the author reveals to us, in relatively simple words, such profound and life altering decisions as to impart the reader with a deeper appreciation for God and man. This is truly one of those extremely rare novels that changes the reader for the good. Often, as I read of Collie's difficulties, and her decisions, I found myself admiring her good qualities and trying to incorporate them into my life. The values that the author elevated were all noble and righteous and bestowed on the entranced reader an aura of contentment and the continual effort to improve upon one's weakness and do good not for the benefit of self but for others and for God. After having indulged, and continuing to indulge in overtly bilious and generally depressing horror novels, I found this tale to be enjoyably light hearted and cheerful in that the author praised good values, yet suitably serious and heart wrenching at the same time. I am amazed at such talent to be able to impart such dire circumstances and yet breathe hope into the tale simultaneously. This aspect alone elevates this novel to the level of the classics.

The characters are truly memorable and their epic emotions and inner struggles were revealed so thoroughly that I could practically feel their emotions flowing off the pages and into my heart. I wept with Collie and rejoiced alongside her. The author was able to truly capture the essence of his character and bring that character to life. I never felt as though an entertaining story were being presented for my satisfaction. Rather, I felt as though Collie were sitting across the table from me, relating her story from her heart, revealing to me the very essence of her being. Not only was this achieved with Collie, the main character, but every character was thoroughly brought to life. Their emotions were real and their personalities dynamic. Even the cruel hearted villain, Colonel Ira, was well detailed and his emotions and decisions fully revealed to the reader.

The plot was highly original and distinctly appealing. I was mesmerized by the Realm and its fascinating culture. Each element of the tale wove together to create a flawless plot that never proved predictable. The originality, combined with the relevant themes and expert characterization, enabled me to maintain my unfaltering interest in the tale. Throughout the unfolding drama, the plot gained creativity, depth, and complexity, elevating this far above regular modern novels into the category of a classic.

The tale concludes before the date of Collie's execution with the female president, Virginia Watker, making a special visit to the Realm to plead for her comrade Collie's reprieve. The outcome of this essential meeting concerning whether or not Collie shall be spared from death is not revealed in the conclusion of this novel. Rather, the tale ends leaving the reader breathless, desperately wanting more. Originally I was disappointed since I desperately wanted to discover what fate would befall Collie and whether Virginia Watker's debate with the Realm would reach any significant conclusion. However, my despair was soon turned to joy when I discovered that a sequel will be published in the winter of 2008. Although this is an awfully long time to keep the reader in suspense, I feel confidant that I shall still remember Collie and her predicament despite the passage of time; her character and story left such an indelible mark on my mind that I am certain I shall never forget her. Until the winter of 2008, I will eagerly await the conclusion of the tale and be certain to grab a copy the minute one is available.

The writing style was simple, yet elegant as it effortlessly divulged epic emotions and profound wisdom. Collie's voice transcended the barriers of imagination and spoke directly to the heart in her forthright honest way. The only problem I detected was several misspellings and a few grammar errors that I would have expected an editor, or any spell check program, to have corrected. Still, this complaint is minute and will only prove irritating to the highly finicky.

To conclude, having indulged in copious piles of books over the year of 2006, I remember few of them. Some, are shadowy memories, some I discover laying about the house, recognize the cover and remember having read it but can gain no insight as to what the story was about, others I have a lingering memory of being interested in but the feeling invoked remains neutral. Few from this pile of books, even those I still remember in-depth, have effected a personality change or even made me think deeply. This novel, however, is the shinning paragon that easily elevates itself above the other novels, forever lingering in my memory and leaving an essence of something special. The characters are not fictitious inventions to me rather, they live on, even after the story has concluded bestowing their wisdom and benevolence on me. Truly, I shall never forget this novel. I feel that this is a story that should be read by everyone for not only is it a perfect example of literature at its finest, but its lessons are truly beautiful and profound.

To all my readers, goodbye from Ravenova and have a wonderful 2007.
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Psychological Suspense.......2006-12-02

John Michael O'Loughlin has created an especially maniacal villan as Collie's main adversary in the fight for her life. Collie has found herself in a world foreign to her own and the rules are especially strict, with swift punishment for any crime. The character development is excellent and the warmth and safety of home is sharply contrasted with a land far away where outer actions seem more relevant than heart intention.

Could you imagine a country where they sentence you to death for taking pictures of someone famous? That is what happens to Collie and it seems especially cruel and the conclusions drawn at her trial seem far from logical. The irrelevance of the truth seems to be the issue and no matter what Collie tries to say, she keeps saying the wrong thing, digging deeper into her inevitable fate.

Most of the novel deals with Collie's imprisonment, the effort to obtain her freedom and memories of happier times. As the story progresses the authors seems to enjoy putting his main character in an impossible situation and embellishes the story with dreams. The comments about the bathing ceremony seemed a bit "over the top," unsettling and intrusive, especially in regards to the creepy emotional implications in regards to Collie's adversary.

I was left with an unsettled feeling over the unexpected ending and while this book was original, I think it has elements that may only appeal to readers who enjoy psychological suspense.

~The Rebecca Review

Collie's Captivity is an ambitious start.......2006-07-29

"Collie's Captivity" is an ambitious novel. Like many an ambitious novel, it has flaws but still very readable.

The plot is rather Kafka-esque; Collie, a young girl, is being held in a mysterious Realm, held for a crime she did not do. The Realm has its own customs and rules, completely foreign to an American. Collie is given prisoner-of-war treatment --but not of the Geneva Convention variety. Her treatment is coldly calculated to break down her personality by deprivation and depersonalization.

The flaws with the novel are there is a shift in point of view between what Collie sees and the voice that watches the action over the people deciding Collie's fate. When you are with Collie in her cell, it's like reading Kafka; with the people of the Realm or the President, it's like reading a different author. The story is ambitious in that it definitely will take place over a number of volumes. O'Loughlin has a lot of ideas and this story is clearly bigger than one novel can contain. If this is to become a trilogy or tetrology of books, the ideas can be treated with space and leisure to develop. This is more than one book can handle, right now.

I think most readers would find this a very engaging and readable story. I was hoping for a more subtle exposition of the Realm but this may reflect my own taste in literature. If you liked Margaret Atwood's "A Handmaid's Tale" you might really enjoy this novel.

What an unusual book! Great!.......2006-07-14

As a husband and wife reading team, we don't always agree on how to rate the books we read, but this one was a no-brainer: It's five stars all the way.

We usually take turns reading a chapter or two a night; it's our way of relaxing after hard days at DMV where we work ... and you all know what a hectic place the Dept. of Motor Vehicles in California is like!

Anyway, this book was so captivating that we found ourselves reading five or six chapters a night; hurrying through dinner to do so. We couldn't wait to see the evolution of Collie's mind processes and how she handled this very difficult situaiton she's placed in.

What a girl! What a book! This is one you just gotta read!

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