Physics Reference Book For the Scientist - Book Review

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Most Americans have a pretty good understanding of physics. After all, we all understand gravity, and we know what happens when we turn on the stove and boil water. We also know when we go around the corner too fast in our car everything leans to one side. And most young men have played baseball at sometime in their life so they have a pretty good idea of force, power, kinetic energy, and object's trajectory. All this is "physics" of course.

Still, what if you are a scientist and you understand all that but you need to know or all there is to know, all the mathematical formulations and exactly how everything affects everything else in a scientific way? If these are things that you need to know, then perhaps I can recommend a very good book to you. This is a book that I have in my personal library and I use quite often when coming up with new concepts, innovations, or inventions. The name of the book he has;

"Physics for Scientists" by Randall K. Knight.

This is a reference book for Scientists on the realm of physics. It helps scientists so they don't make any mistakes when they're conceiving a new idea or pushing the limits of thought with new concepts. It's a very excellent book and it makes a nice addition to the library for a graduate physics student or someone that has been studying physics all their live and has some revolutionary new ideas.

The book is fully illustrated, and it is very good. I recommend it to anyone that is involved in the scientific fields, even rocket scientists. I hope you will please consider all this.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes information is power.

Successful Beekeeping ABC's by Terry Martyn Jr

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The preservation of bees is imperative to our continued ability to grow food to feed the plant. Bees are the major pollinators on the plant. Did you know that raising bees can be a stress reduction strategy and can provide a wealth of education for adults and children alike. Raising bees allows you to provide gifts for family and friend, while providing healthy products good for your health. In this book the author discusses the benefits, steps to get started, supports, and other valuable information.

Chapter one looks at the benefits of raising bees, while chapter two addresses the steps to get started. The author discusses the cost involved in set up a bee colony; discusses how much space you will need; the impact of food and water to the hive; the impact of pets and other domestic creatures may have on the bee reproduction; how to manage wild animals, climate and neighbors; and list some important rules and regulations regarding beekeeping.

The next chapter focuses on the most important lessons you will learn while beekeeping. The author then follows up this section with how to find and develop support systems. His recommendations are to join a local beekeeping group which will assist in providing important information, additional resources, strategies to protect the hive, how to increase production of honey and pit falls to avoid. Participation in a local support group will enhance and maintain your development as a beekeeper.

The next section is dedicated to the types of bees, their role and importance to the hive. There are various types of bees and the author makes recommendations on which variation your should start with in order to be successful. In this section the author discusses the importance of the queen, worker and drone bees. He details bee reproduction, how other bees protect the only female bee in the colony and how to promote a high quality queen bee. There is additional information on introducing a new queen bee should the need arise and how to handle the old queen bee. Included in this section is information on drone bees, which are male bees, and how to recognize a drone from a worker bee. The role of the worker bee is to build the honey combs, rear the brood, protect the hive, maintain optimum temperature with in the hive, keep the hive clean and tend to the needs of the queen. The author provides strategies on how to maximize the role of each class of bee.

There is another section on how to produce queen, drones and worker bees. The author provides detailed information regarding the production of each and identifies pitfalls.

The next chapter focuses on the essential equipment for beekeeping. There is information on harvesting the honey; the different types of hives and how to harvest the honey from each; bee gum hives and modern hives. There is instructions and information on how to develop a hive for your bees, what designs provide the most protection; what construction will assist in production of honey; and the history of man made hives.

The next section of the book is dedicated to managing hives, listing the parts of the modern hive and its function. There is important information on the role each part place in protecting and managing the bees. The author discusses the mouse excluder, varroa screen, frame boxes, the effectiveness of plastic foundation sheets for hives, shallow frames, queen excluder, crown board, and roof.

In chapter six the author discusses the importance of the right kind of clothing and the role it plays in protecting the beekeeper. The following chapter lists the tools a successful beekeeper will need to get started, such as the hive tool, bee brush, and the smokers.

Chapter eight is dedicated to getting your bees. The author discusses the advantages and disadvantages to complete bee hives, nucleus hives and how to set one up; packed bees and transferring the bees to the hive; and helpful tips on managing a swarm of bees when setting up the hive. There is a full section on how to prevention bee swarming.

Combing weak hives in order to ensure the growth of both is discussed in the next chapter. He identifies how to combed the hives, lists strategies to ensure production of the combed hives, how to deal with combing to hives with two queen bees, and when is the best time of year to comb weak hives.

The next chapter looks at feeding your bees. There is information on how to introduce medicine to treat and/or prevent certain conditions; how to ensure the hive has enough food after the honey has been harvested; how to keep the hive productive and safe during the winter months. The author lists the food sources most useful to the bees and lists food sources the beekeeper should never give the hive. There is instruction on how to get the right food source to the bees through: entrance feeders, tile division-board feeders, friction top can; and hive top feeders. Additional information regarding pollen or pollen substitutes is provided.

There is a complete section on disease management listing the most common diseases such as: American Foulbrood, European foulbrood, Sacbrood; Parasitic mite syndrome (PMS); and chalk brood. There is additional information on adult bee diseases such as Nosema; and mites. Here the author describes the symptoms and lists ways to identify and treat the diseases.

Many animals and insects are enemies of the bees and can harm and/or destroy the hives. The author identifies each species: bears, birds, ants, cattle, small hive beetle, fogs, fire ants, rodents, raccoons, skunks, and moths. There is also information listed on how to protect the hive and bees from these pests.

The next few chapters provide information on how to manage the hives through the summer, fall, winter and spring; how to examine and what to expect; steps on how to handle your first harvest, extract the honey crop; how to brush the bees; what to do with escape boards, and bee blowers.

At the end of the book there is information and websites for suppliers in the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, and Australia.

Steve Thornton offers a insight into the information product market, researching a number of niche topics and resourcing products in those areas. Please take time to visit the estore at:

http://lobbythornton.blogspot.com/

Book Review of "Make 'Em Laugh" by Laurence Maslon and Michael Kantor

Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America. [Hardcover]

by Laurence Maslon and Michael Kantor

384 pages, $45.00

ISBN-10: 0446505315

Nonfiction

Review by Steven King, MBA, MEd

Who doesn't love a good joke? Television programs and radio specials have proven one thing: people love to laugh. It has long been contended that laughter is the best medicine. Laughing, or at least finding the humor in not-so-obvious places, drives us all. As Mark Twain famously opined, "Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand."

Laurence Maslon and Michael Kantor have written a phenomenal book in Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America, which is a companion to the PBS series by the same name. In their introduction, these two witty authors assert that they are on a quest to discover what has made America laugh for the past 100 years - and, more importantly - why. In about 365 pages, you'll read why comedy has exploded in America in about five decades. It is refreshing to read a close dissection of comedy and the comedians who made us collectively laugh.

Masterfully divided, these two comedy surgeons have something for everyone (and every age, too), whether you define comedy as the zany antics of Lucille Ball; the parody of Billy Crystal; or the comic mastery of Robin Williams. Perhaps the most refreshing read, however, deals with their analysis of comedians from yesteryear: such as W.C. Fields and Charlie Chaplin.

During your meanderings through this book, you will unveil interesting facts:

* Charlie Chaplin's salary with Mutual Film Corporation was $670,000 in 1916, making him the highest paid performer in human history.

* Jim Carrey, whose comic brilliance approaches gargantuan proportions, was originally part of a sitcom that tanked in 1984 called The Duck Factory.

* Carol Burnett broke into comedy by wooing President Eisenhower's Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, with a song professing her adoration of him.

The lore contained in this book will keep any trivia buff enthralled for a long time.

You won't read this masterpiece in one sitting, it's too big - table book big. Instead, you'll read it in bite-size portions, maybe three to six pages at a time. In that way, you'll get a very thorough look at comedy and the personalities behind it. Who knows? Maybe liberal readings of this book will prove the maxim that laughter truly is the best form of medicine.

It's sprinkled with jokes, too. You won't stop laughing...

Book Review - The Elements of Style by Strunk and White

Most of us do not like to write. Writing is a skill and not something you are born with. Initially, I did not like to write. I found it cumbersome and even difficult to put my thoughts into writing. Currently, I love to write. Writing has become a means of expression. It is the best way to organize your thoughts and convey meaning.

There are many books on writing and on technical aspects of writing such as punctuations, spelling, etc. There are few books on the style and proper flow of writing. One book stands above all books. It has also been around for awhile. That book is "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White.

The authors are also writers themselves. E. B. White wrote the classic children's book, "Charlotte's Web". Their principles on the style and proper usage in writing is generally accepted by anyone and everyone (educators, writers, teachers, etc.).

The book, "Elements of Style", should be one of those books that students and writers should have a copy of. As a student, you will learn principles that will make your essays and papers convey effective meaning (and earn an "A" at the same time). As a writer, you will be able to make your writing flow purposefully and your ideas come across as organized and effective. This is what you want your writing to be.

The English language has its own code. The book, "Elements of Style", will enable you to "break that code" in your writing. That code includes how to use punctuations, active tense, composition, expressions, and style. Here are the topics that are covered by this reference book:

* Elementary rules of usage
This includes how to properly use parenthesis, commas, colons, dashes, etc. It is also discusses using the proper possessive form, proper use of pronouns, phrases, etc.

* Elementary principles of composition
This includes choosing a design in your writing, paragraphs, active voice, statements in positive form, using definitive (rather than useless words), loose sentences, keeping related words together, use of tense, placing emphatic words at end, etc.

* An Approach to Style
This includes writing naturally, writing with nouns and verbs, revising, rewriting, cardinal sins such as using foreign languages or excessive opinions, being clear, over explanation, etc.

* A Few Matters of Form and Words and Expressions Commonly Misused.

This will benefit anyone who needs to write to a wider audience. Unless you want to write in fragmented thoughts or in a haphazard way, then this book is not for you. Otherwise, you will need this book, "The Elements of Style", to be a reference for all your writing.

As an author, Pascasio Felisilda recently published the book "Nanay: Lessons from a Mother". This is a very inspiring book. Its simplicity empowers the message and story about a legacy that is worth living. The book is available through http://www.amazon.com/ or through http://www.ebookstand.com/book_details/Nanay_Lessons_from_a_Mother_PAPERBACK_VERSION

An Easy Guide to Online Genealogical Research

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There are many things to learn about genealogy, and with the advent of new technology the amount of information available on this topic has literally exploded. The internet has blossomed overnight with increasingly updated data about a wide range of topics - genealogy included - and with this super-nova like expansion, many people who are interested in genealogy, neophytes and experts alike, got sucked into this fascinating world of kinship, lineage and ancestry.

That's one problem solved. Tracking down data used to be a huge problem because of the lack of resources as well as its inaccessibility. Now, the problem isn't how much data you can mine from the internet, but how you can filter it and make sure you've got correct and accurate information that is clearly distinguishable from fraudulent material.

To help professionals as well as beginners negotiate the vast world of online information to aid them in their genealogical research, authors April Leigh Helm and Matthew L. Helm another book about online genealogical research that is the latest in a slew of "Dummy" books designed to be easy guides to some of the most fascinating yet complicated topics in the world.

A five part book, it starts off with the easy stuff, guiding beginners through an introduction to the topic that includes helpful tips for starting their research on the internet. Parts 1 and 2 cover valuable nuggets of wisdom about surnames, government records, ethnic research and geographical locations.

Part 4 then delves into one of the most important sections of the book, where a lot of online resources are found and sorted into accessible chunks of information. In this part, the authors list down their top ten for all things genealogical: ten internet genealogical publications, ten guidelines on how to design a genealogy web page, ten genealogy beginner's sites and ten guidelines for a smooth sailing genealogical research. Also included are yellow page listings on various sites and descriptions to aid your search for genealogical information.

The directory provided by the book doesn't just make the search for information easier but also makes it a lot more fun. All the sections in the book that detail information about search engines allows readers to acquire the most important information provided by search engine bots called "spiders". The thing to know is that the better researchers understand how the online search process works, the easier their work will be and consequently, the more fun it'll be. By following the guidelines provided by the book, users can avoid common mistakes most beginners make, which is to pick a random search engine and just type the surname they are looking for. This method yields millions of web pages of information, but unfortunately, doesn't really narrow down the search.

Another notable thing about this book is that it provides a database of land patent from the previous GLO or General Land Office provided through the Bureau of Land Management's Eastern State Office or BLMESO. Readers have a chance of downloading copies of their ancestors' land patents through this service. Because of this, a lot of people have found the book a good source of information for aspiring genealogists as it covers not just content found on websites but also tips on how to obtain important genealogical skills.

For true techies, the book is also available in CD format, which allows them to access the same information found in the book through their laptops, however, it is worth noting that books are simpler to use and are more accessible.

Rated "cool" and "informational", the book seems to be a hit among genealogy readers, among whom, this "Dummy" book has truly found its niche and a resounding applause of appreciation.

Bill Turnbull has been studying genealogy for 15 years and in that time has discovered the secrets to building family trees effortlessly online. For more great information on Genealogy [http://www.voodoogenealogy.com] visit Build Family Tree Online [http://www.voodoogenealogy.com/build-family-tree-online/]

Historical Dictionary of Hong Kong Cinema

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Filmmakers and film fans interested in more than a century of Hong Kong cinema can find what they're looking for in this new reference book. Stokes, a humanities and film professor who also wrote "City on Fire: Hong Kong Cinema," includes enough background information to educate newcomers, while also adding plenty of scholarly insight to enlighten devoted film buffs, industry professionals, and even Hong Kong filmmakers.

This extensive reference begins with a chronology that traces the area's history back to its 1841 occupation by the British to the 2005 Hong Kong Entertainment Expo, which brought together eight creative events including the Hong Kong International Film Festival and the Hong Kong Film Awards. A fascinating introduction follows the chronology, in which the movers and shakers in Hong Kong cinema are highlighted, in addition to economic, social, and political factors that influenced filmmaking there over the years.

The bulk of the book, of course, is the dictionary itself, which describes as well as defines the directors, actors, writers, films, production companies, genres, and other significant people, places, and things that surround Hong Kong Cinema. For example, let's say a reader wants to learn more about filmmaker Stephen Chiau, whose recent film Kung Fu Hustle broke box-office records in Hong Kong and enjoyed critical and economic success in the United States. Besides brief mentions in the front matter, his listing under "Chiau" provides his name in various languages, birth date, personal and professional background, a listing of his awards, partial listing of numerous television and film credits, descriptions of his acting/directing style, and insider information about his two big international hits Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle. Readers also learn that he is called "The Chinese Jim Carrey" because of his slapstick and pratfalls. Boldfaced items listed under each dictionary entry (in the case of Stephen Chiau: Tony Leung-wai, Danny Lee, television, Golden Horse Awards, Michael Hui, Ng Man-tat, kung fu, martial arts, and Hong Kong Film Awards) represent cross-references with their own listings.

In the center of the book, a brief section is included with photographs of films and filmmakers cited in the text. "Historical Dictionary of Hong Kong Cinema" concludes with a bibliography that lists online, magazine, journal, and book sources used in compiling the text.

Stokes writes in the preface that her goal is to provide "a comprehensive and detailed overview of the immense contribution of Hong Kong to film culture." She surely succeeds in this endeavor, as the book will serve fans, filmmakers, and scholars ready to delve into the intricacies and peculiarities of Hong Kong cinema.

Copyright 2007

For more movie news and reviews visit: http://home.roadrunner.com/~lesliehalpern Central Florida entertainment writer Leslie Halpern wrote the book "Reel Romance. The Lovers' Guide to the 100 Best Date Movies" (Taylor Trade Publishing), which reviews date movies and suggests romantic ideas inspired by these films. She is also the author of "Dreams on Film: The Cinematic Struggle Between Art and Science" (McFarland & Company), an analysis of representations of sleeping and dreaming in more than 125 movies.

By Lisa Odham Stokes
Publisher: Scarecrow Press, Lanham, MD
ISBN: 978-0-8108-5520-5
2007, Hardcover, 590 pages, $99.00

Writing-World's Guide To Paying Markets For Fiction and Poetry - Book Review

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Writing-World.com's Guide to Paying Markets for Fiction and Poetry by Moira Allen, is more than just a book of data for writer's submissions. The author includes only paying markets of periodicals (E-zines, magazines and a few newspapers). The author created a highly valuable section entitled "About this Guide", that explains what each section of details listed under the publications means. She even goes as far as describing the various rights that are often required by periodicals. I learned within the first 17 pages that I had been addressing envelopes incorrectly for international shipping by placing the country in mostly small caps beside the state or province. And what a surprise that was for me - I had no idea there was a protocol for shipping out-of-country! This important chapter also discusses common issues and problems with email and online submissions. Moira's discussion on literary magazines was also very informative and interesting.

Listing markets for short stories, poetry, fiction, fantasy, horror, Christian, adult and many other genres from romance to mystery - this book is sure to help authors market their books and freelance writers sell their articles. Author Moira Allen, goes a step farther and sub-groups markets into smaller categories, such as Children/Christian and Flash Fiction, to make the selection easier for writers.

Reference books like these tend to be dry and boring to read, but Moira's book is written personably - which is difficult to do when listing data. Each listing has numerous helpful tips and information including what kind of material the publication accepts submission for, what the publication's pay rate starts at, what rights are requested and contact information (including emails and website URLs).

This book has definitely found a spot on my writer's reference shelf in my office!

Publisher: Writing-World.com
Available at: http://www.writing-world.com/bookstore/index.shtml

~ Lillian Brummet: co-author of the books Trash Talk and Purple Snowflake Marketing, author of Towards Understanding; host of the Conscious Discussions radio show (http://www.brummet.ca/)