Everyday Idioms for Reference and Practice (Everyday Idioms for Reference & Practice) (bk. 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've found that quite a few books contain idioms that are only used in parts of the U.S., or are out-of-date or unusual. One of my international graduate students commented that she constantly saw the idioms she had learned in print- these are really the idioms that are popular and taken for granted. I only wish that there had been more information about how to use the idioms correctly in context; more definition of the socio-linguistic limits.

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Everyday Idioms One and Two bring the challenge of learning typical American English expressions within any student's reach. Each book presents over 1,200 idioms within tightly organized semantic categories. No other idiom texts give as comprehensive coverage of essential American idioms or make them as accessible to students.

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Street Talk-1: How to Speak and Understand American Slang (v. 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)'Street Talk 1' is my favorite book on the topic. Although I have a decent collection of slang dictionaries, I found this one to stand out for several reasons:
First of all, it is full of terms that are ACTUALLY USED in the US today. No big deal, you might say, but most of the other books available on US slang would only be useful if the professors writing them could first convince Americans to learn and use the expressions contained in them ;)
Secondly, the EXERCISES at the end of the chapters are VERY HELPFUL to learn the expressions.
I recommend this book to every foreigner trying to learn how to communicate with Americans.

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Street Talk 1 contains more than 1,150 commonly used American slang terms and expressions...the words and phrases heard everyday that don't always make sense. If you are confused by American English and would like to speak and understand like a native, you need to read this book! Street Talk 1 is the first self-teaching book on American slang that is written for the non-native speaker. Readers will learn the "inside" language that is heard in everyday conversations, at the movies, on the radio, and seen in books, magazines, and advertisements. This often mysterious language of slang and idioms is clearly explained through dialogues, pronunciation tips, word games, and illustrations.

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Oracle PL/SQL Programming, Third Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)Most of us have had to learn PL/SQL at some point in our Oracle careers, and I am sure many of you have become quite expert. On the other hand, some of you may be new to this world of PL/SQL and are looking for a basic text that will educate you in the use of this language.
The "Bible" for PL/SQL programming has long been the earlier editions of this book, and Steven Feuerstein has been considered the guru of PL/SQL programming for as many years as I can remember. Steven has completely revised his best-known work into a new, third edition. I thought that it was time to take a look at this new edition and see what it has to offer both groups. Here is what I found.
Steven now provides complete coverage of PL/SQL from Oracle RDBMS version 7.3.4 through Oracle9i Release 2. He has incorporated all the information from his book PL/SQL Guide to Oracle8i New Features into this book. He has added a new chapter on database triggers and included especially useful information on DDL triggers and database event triggers. He has added new content on the PL/SQL runtime architecture, creating and running PL/SQL programs, and calling Java methods from within PL/SQL. He has integrated all the new Oracle9i features throughout the text, instead of placing them in a separate chapter.
In order to make the book fit into 1,000 pages, some of the example code was removed and can be found on O'Reilly's Web site at www.oreilly.com/catalog/oraclep3 as a zipped file. About 300 files are available. Approximately 200 pages that were pruned from the second edition that still have some utility are also available there.
The book is organized much the same way as previous editions, with a few changes. There are 23 chapters divided into six parts:
Part I: Programming in PL/SQL. These three chapters orient you to PL/SQL, its history, utility, and basic programming constructs.
Part II: PL/SQL Program Structure. Conditional, sequential, iterative control structures, and exceptions are covered in these three chapters.
Part III: PL/SQL Program Data. Six chapters cover how to manipulate data within PL/SQL procedures and functions. Strings, numbers, datatypes, including the new Oracle9i datatypes, and records and collections are also discussed.
Part IV: SQL in PL/SQL. There are three chapters that cover transactions, data retrieval, and the use of dynamic SQL.
Part V: PL/SQL Application Construction. The four chapters in this part discuss procedures and functions, packages, triggers, and managing PL/SQL applications.
Part VI: Advanced PL/SQL Topics. There are four final chapters that cover the runtime architecture, object-orientation in PL/SQL, PL/SQL and Java, and external procedure calls.
Steven states in his preface that the three objectives of this book are to
1.take full advantage of the features of PL/SQL,
2.use PL/SQL to solve your problems, and
3.write efficient, maintainable code.
Each chapter has been crafted to address these three objectives. His writing style is clear, succinct, and reads like he is sitting next to you chatting about the new things he's learned. The book is absolutely full of code examples. Most of the examples are posed as practical programming problems. He carefully walks you through the lines of example code, clearly explaining the logic used for each step of the program, and points out version-based differences. Steve is also not afraid to express an opinion and will tell you exactly why he chooses a particular method for solving a problem. Notes explaining tips and traps proliferate the book.
So, what do I think about this new edition? His book has the most comprehensive coverage of PL/SQL that I have ever seen. The code examples achieve a level of sophistication that is truly elegant. For a PL/SQL beginner, this book can be the source of all PL/SQL wisdom. Even if you have been programming with PL/SQL for a time, I think you will find the information on Oracle9i new features useful and will find many nuggets of information that can be used immediately to improve your code.

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Nearly a quarter-million PL/SQL programmers--novices and experienced developers alike--have found the first and second editions of Oracle PL/SQL Programming to be indispensable references to this powerful language. Packed with examples and recommendations, this book has helped everyone, from Oracle Forms developers to database administrators, make the most of PL/SQL. This new edition is a comprehensive update of the original book, covering all versions of PL/SQL through Oracle9i Release 2. It adds much-requested new chapters on how to create and run PL/SQL programs, call Java methods from within PL/SQL, and define and use database triggers. An extensive new chapter--designed especially for experienced PL/SQL developers--describes PL/SQL's runtime architecture and how to use knowledge of Oracle internals to get the best performance from PL/SQL.

The book contains information about the latest Oracle9i PL/SQL features, including:

Record-based DML: You can now use records in INSERT and DELETE statements.
Table functions: These are functions that return a result set (in the form of a PL/SQL collection). Such functions existed in Oracle8i but they are now much expanded.
New and improved datatypes: Oracle now offers dramatically improved support for timestamps, time zone management, and interval calculations. In addition, the XMLType datatype has now been implemented.
Inheritance for object types: You can now define a hierarchy of object types (which were first introduced in Oracle8).
Enhancements to PL/SQL collections.PL/SQL now supports multiple-level collections (nesting collections within collections), as well as associative arrays (previously called index-by tables), which allow you to index by PLS_INTEGER and VARCHAR2.
Native compilation of PL/SQL code: PL/SQL source code can now optionally be compiled into native object code that is linked into Oracle.
The book is divided into six parts:
Part I, Programming in PL/SQL
Part II, PL/SQL Program Structure
Part III, PL/SQL Program Data
Part IV, SQL in PL/SQL
Part V, PL/SQL Application Construction
Part VI, Advanced PL/SQL Topics
Even if you've been a PL/SQL developer for years, you'll find an enormous amount of new and revised information in this third edition and on its companion web site. If you're new to PL/SQL, you'll find Oracle PL/SQL Programming an invaluable companion on the road to mastery.

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Java 2: The Complete Reference, Fifth Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)I have waited to write this review until I had finished the book cover-to-cover in order to give a fair review. I bought this book because of the author Herbert Schildt. I have read several of his books and found them all to be informative, easy to understand and well written. While I was disappointed in some aspects of this book, overall I liked it. I think, however, everyone should know what this book has to offer prior to buying it. It may not suit the needs of some potential buyers.
This book is broken up into four sections: The Java Language, The Java Library, Software Development Using Java, and Applying Java.
The first section was the best and most detailed section of the book. It goes from page 4 to page 340 and is an excellent tutorial for learning the Java language. It doesn't talk about the AWT, applets, or any graphical programming for that matter, but gives the reader a firm foundation with which to move into those more interesting Java programming areas. This section alone was worth the price of the book. (while I agree with another reviewer that Bruce Eckel's Thinking in Java was a great book, I like this one better because it doesn't keep referring back to C/C++ all the time).
From the start of the second section through the end of the book, this book takes on a different approach. Instead of detailed descriptions as offered in the first section of the book, it begins to be an overview. Many topics are touched upon and many examples are given, but the reader is not given enough information or depth in these chapters to make them very useful.
The bottom line is, this book provides a firm understanding of Java's syntax and object oriented programming. After that it provides brief glimpses of the many kinds of programming you can do with Java.
If you don't know where you want to go with Java, this book is, in my opinion, the best way to sample Java enough to make your decision. If your purpose in wanting this book is to be an applet programmer (or do any graphical programming for that matter), I think you would do better to read the first section of this book (to page 340) and then read the Graphic Java books, volumes I, II and III, which cover the AWT, Swing and 2D API respectively.

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This guide to the Java language details everything programmers need to know about how to develop, compile, debug and run Java applications and applets.

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Music: An Appreciation Review

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(More customer reviews)I have used this text and earlier editions teaching music appreciation at community college and have found it to be the best yet so far. The most useful part of the text for the [before class] non-active listener are the listening outlines, with very detailed descriptions of what to listen for in various pieces of music. Kamien includes very early musical selections up to the very recent. Also included are some non-western music examples. This text could be very beneficial to musician and non-musician alike. There is great detail in his explanations of how various musical forms are put together. There is just enough history included in the text to avoid the boredom of the purely historical perspective of music appreciation.

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Through eight editions, Roger Kamien's Music: An Appreciation has become the most widely used text for Music Appreciation and Introduction to Music Literature courses. The author has approached his new ninth edition with the goal of re-examining the scholarship and refreshing the repertoire while maintaining the strengths that have made the book number one--the clear presentation of musical elements, the vivid depiction of music history, the carefully chosen musical examples, the detailed and informative Listening Outlines, and the unsurpassed supplements package.

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Professional Android Application Development (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) Review

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(More customer reviews)The author clearly and concisely explains the fundamental aspects of Android programming. The coverage of Android topics is pretty comprehensive and the depth of coverage was just right for my needs. Mr. Meier provides some background information about mobile programming platforms in general, so the only real prerequisite for this book is familiarity with Java programming. The examples are also very informative and build new features incrementally, which keeps the focus on the most recently covered material, and reflects modern incremental development practices. This book, in conjunction with the excellent materials available online from Google, anddev.org and elsewhere, provide an effective staring point for developers looking to get started quickly on the Android platform.

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A hands-on guide to building mobile applications, Professional Android Application Development features concise and compelling examples that show you how to quickly construct real-world mobile applications for Android phones. Fully up-to-date for version 1.0 of the Android software development kit, it covers all the essential features, and explores the advanced capabilities of Android (including GPS, accelerometers, and background Services) to help you construct increasingly complex, useful, and innovative mobile applications for Android phones.
What this book includes
An introduction to mobile development, Android, and how to get started.
An in-depth look at Android applications and their life cycle, the application manifest, Intents, and using external resources.
Details for creating complex and compelling user interfaces by using, extending, and creating your own layouts and Views and using Menus.
A detailed look at data storage, retrieval, and sharing using preferences, files, databases, and Content Providers.
Instructions for making the most of mobile portability by creating rich map-based applications as well as using location-based services and the geocoder.
A look at the power of background Services, using threads, and a detailed look at Notifications.
Coverage of Android's communication abilities including SMS, the telephony APIs, network management, and a guide to using Internet resources
Details for using Android hardware, including media recording and playback, using the camera, accelerometers, and compass sensors.
Advanced development topics including security, IPC, advanced 2D / 3D graphics techniques, and user–hardware interaction.

Who this book is forThis book is for anyone interested in creating applications for the Android mobile phone platform. It includes information that will be valuable whether you're an experienced mobile developer or making your first foray, via Android, into writing mobile applications. It will give the grounding and knowledge you need to write applications using the current SDK, along with the flexibility to quickly adapt to future enhancements.

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The Complete Word Study New Testament (Word Study Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)As a leader of Precept Bible studies, I have found these tools to be extremely helpful. Being Greek himself, Spiro has much to offer in the correct interpreting of Gods Word. His insights to the culture and meaning of words has proven helpful and enlightening. These books are user friendly, while being fully detailed and in depth. More than once I have found out the real meaning of a word in the Greek that increased my faith and inticed my appetite to study more in depth more often. Much needed tools for any serious Bible student. I would highly recommend all the Zodhiates reference books. Get them all.

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he Complete Word Study New Testament is a revolutionary product containing an exhaustive amount of Bible study research material in single book formats. Available currently in the King James Version, the text of Scripture comes alive, as you are able to research important information about each Greek word within each volume

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C++: The Complete Reference Review

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(More customer reviews)A little background: I've been programming professionally for 3 years now using VB, SQL, HTML, JavaScript, XML and occasional C. I would consider myself at intermediate/journyman level, striving to be Guru level (I'm perhaps there in VB, but not the other languages). Now my job is calling for more usage of C/C++ and thus I am striving to get at more than just a basic level with these languages. This background information is important because different books are appropriate for different experience/proficiency levels and thus someone can gage my review to their needs or to their experience level.
When I was converting to being a programmer, one of my courses was on C. The text was "A Book On C". This was probably the worst programming book I've ever used - it was poorly indexed, gave [poor] examples (for the beginner) and was difficult to read. I now own a copy of K & R's "The C Programming Language", which is much better and regarded by many to be the best C book of all. I like it, but it's not the best learning book, being terse and sometimes a bit confusing in it's explainations. K&R is an authoritative refernece. I've also thumbed through extensively Stroustrups' "The C++ Programming Language" at the bookstore. Again, this is a definetive reference, but not a good learning book. These books are written by and meant for experienced and/or advanced C/C++ programmers.
On the flip side of the coin are the "...For Dummies", "The Complete Idiots guide to..." and "Teach Yourself..." series books, which I've thumbed through the cooresponding C books at the bookstore. These books are good primers and are easy to understand. However, they are incomplete in their coverage of their subject and are of spotty quality.
So where's the happy medium? The answer is simple: "C++: The Complete Reference". This book has extremely thorough coverage of the subject (not as thorough as Stroustrups' book, but thorough nonetheless) and is extremely easy to understand. I love the presentation - it's simple, practical, to the point and quite enjoyable. When I read about a subject, say a function pointer or inheritance, and compile it's example, I have fun doing it and I feel I come away with a solid understanding without risidual confusion (risidual confusion sometimes occurs with K&R or Stroustrup). Also, when I want to look up something that I need to use, say a library function, I can find it immediately in the index, turn to the various pages that are referenced, and be able to use the function immediately and effectively.
I love the Osborne "Complete Reference" format for it's oganizational and presentation styles and I love Herb Schildts writing. He's a C/C++ guru (having been on the ANSI/ISO C++ standardization committee) and posesses excellent communications and teaching skills. He really understands the perspective of someone trying to learn C++ or improve on their C++ skills. There's a very good reason why he's the worlds highest selling C++ author.
This book is great for beginning and intermediate C++ programmers (and even good for C++ gurus as an easy and quick reference). It wouldn't be good for someone brand new to programming (these people should stick with beginning programming books).
Also consider what a tremendous value this book is. ... And the similarily priced "...For Dummies" and "Teach Yourself..." books don't contain nearly as much as this book. With this book you get an incredible amount of bang for your buck.
I can't rave enough about this book. It's thorough, well organized, easy to understand, enjoyable to read, extremely effective, and an absolute bargain. It's a must have for all levels of C++ programmers.

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Providing a comprehensive reference to programming language, C++, this text includes: coverage of the updated ANSI C++ standard; a description of the current root of C++; details of C++'s OOP components and classes; and tips on effective C++ software application development.

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Song of the Simple Truth: The Complete Poems of Julia de Burgos (Dual Language Edition:: Spanish, English) (Spanish and English Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)Julia de Burgos is probably Latin America's greatest female poet. Although she never gained the mass media attention Gabriela Mistral gained after winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, de Burgos' work is eternally mesmerizing. Here is a woman who led an unhappy life searching for love, only to find heartbreak most of the times. A protege of Neruda's, de Burgos' political activisim in supporting various causes (including criticism of the Franco regime in Spain and Trujillo regime in the Dominican Republic, in addition to her passionate support for independence for Puerto Rico) is clearly shown in her work. Her romaticism and her cultural reconnection can also be read in some of her poems. The one that realy captivated me was Poem #37, "I Love You," which will cause the reader to grasp their chest with the emotion she has poured in letting the love of her life know how much he moved her world.
Ms. De Burgos died a tragic death in New York, however after it was discovered she had been buried on Hart Island (New York City's version of a potter's field) a movement to give her a proper and glorious funeral took place and although she left the island as an unknown schoolteacher, she returned a national hero. Her glorious return to Puerto Rico was well deserving. I can tell you that reading this book brought me to tears. The great thing is that the entire book is a bilingual edition, which will allow both English & Spanish-language readers to discover one of the greatest poets of the 20th century.
A must have for readers of poerty, Latin American literature, and Spanish students. I also recommend it for those who love Neruda. Best book of poetry I ever read!

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The World Trade Organization: Law, Practice, and Policy (Oxford International Law Library) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is a useful text for those who are interested in learning about the law of the World Trade Organisation. I would have given it a 3.5 rating rather than 3 if that were possible. This edition also reflects the more recent developments in WTO case law etc and is therefore useful as a textbook for those teaching international trade law. However, I found the policy analysis a little lacking or at least that it did not accurately reflect the diversity of views on some of the critical issue/challenges facing the WTO and its agenda.

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The WTO is one of the most important intergovernmental organizations in the world, yet the way in which it functions as an organization and the scope of its authority and power are still poorly understood. This comprehensively updated new edition of the acclaimed book by an outstanding team of WTO law specialists, provides a complete overview of the law and practice of the WTO. The authors explain the origins and development, via the GATT, of all of the substantive legal areas covered by the WTO, as well as the sources of law and remedies of the Dispute Settlement system.

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100 Love Sonnets: Cien sonetos de amor (Texas Pan American Series) (English and Spanish Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)I hate to rain on everyone's parade but Stephen Tapscott's translation of Pablo Neruda's evocative and beautiful poetry is crass, misleading and patronizing. It is an insult to the memory of a great poet and a disgrace to translation in general. I have read the collection several times and it angers me each time to see what this man has done to poetry that is subtle as it is open ended. Every single poem in this collection is manipulated my Mr. Tapscott. He constantly replaces words when perfect English equivalents are available. He changes the tenses in which the poems are written and inserts his own concepts when he deems necessary. Worst of all he "explains" the poems in his translation. Time and again Tapscott fails to see the beauty of an ambiguity intended by Neruda and procedes to write phrases that are one dimensional and often fail to convey even the basic core of the work. As to the sound and rythm of the collection, Tapscott goes out of his way to destroy the structure of the poems and their gentle flow. It is a shame that English speakers interested in Pablo Neruda's poetry have only this translation by which to judge his genius. Please save your money and wait for a translation that better represents these great poems.

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ARM System-on-Chip Architecture (2nd Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is an excellent overall compendium for the ARM processor core. This book is a must for anyone doing embedded design work that has never worked with an ARM core previously. Steve Furber presents the information in a very readable format, but technical enough to capture the important details. The book covers the basic design decisions that went into the ARM originally, the entire ARM family, and then goes on to explain how ARM cores get built into ASICs, and the tools and features of the ARM that make it one of the most powerful embedded cores in the biz.
Other topics include: ARM architecture, complete assembly language listing with explanations and bit encodings, organizational considerations like the ARM 3 and 5 stage instruction pipe-lines, the Thumb instruction set (ARM's answer to CISC code density advantage), peripheral memory and on-board cache considerations (like tuning the system clock to your RAM speed for optimal performance), and others. The book is worth every penny!

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The future of the computer and communications industries is converging on mobile information appliances - phones, PDAs, laptops and other devices. The ARM is at the heart of this trend, leading the way in system-on-chip (SoC) development and becoming the processor core of choice for many embedded applications.System-on-chip technology is changing the way we use computers, but it also sets designers the very challenging problem of getting a complex SoC design right first time. ARM System-on-Chip Architecture introduces the concepts and methodologies employed in designing a system-on-chip based around a microprocessor core, and in designing the core itself. Extensive illustrations, based on the ARM, give practical substance to the design principles set out in the book, reinforcing the reader's understanding of how and why SoCs and microprocessors are designed as they are.ARM System-on-Chip Architecture: - presents and discusses the major issues of system-on-chip design, including memory hierarchy, caches, memory management, on-chip buses, on-chip debug and production test- provides an overview of the ARM processor family, enabling the reader to decide which ARM is best for the job in hand- describes the ARM and Thumb programming models, enabling the designer to begin to develop applications- covers all the latest ARM products and developments, including StrongARM, the ARM9 and ARM10 series of cores, and the ARM-based SoC components at the heart of Ericsson's Bluetooth technology, the Psion Series 5 PDA and Samsung's SGH2400 GSM handset- includes details on the AMULET asynchronous ARM cores and the AMULET3H asynchronous SoC subsystemARM System-on-Chip Architecture is an essential handbook for system-on-chip designers using ARM processor cores and engineers working with the ARM. It can also be used as a course text for undergraduate and masters students of computer science, computer engineering and electrical engineering.

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The CELTA Course Trainee Book Review

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(More customer reviews)I paid for this book because I read a previous review that said if I didn't take good notes, this would help me remember the content of the celta course. That is false. The book address TEFL generalisms but does not help with what is really important to pass the CELTA course. You have to learn the CELTA terminology and structure by heart if you want to pass. This book doesn't address CCQs, ICQs, ECDB, and all the other torturous acronyms involved in this course (aside from a glossary in the back). This book is irrelevant to passing and reviewing the CELTA course.

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The CELTA Course is the only CELTA preparation course endorsed by Cambridge ESOL. It provides full coverage of the CELTA syllabus in a ready-to-use course. The CELTA Course is divided into user-friendly sections: * Input sessions (40 units on 'The learners and their contexts', 'Classroom teaching', 'Language awareness', and 'Professional development')* Teaching practice* Classroom observation* Written assignments and tutorials* 'Resource file'The Trainee Book includes a range of material to be used in input sessions, helpful advice about the course, and a wealth of useful reference material. The Trainer's Manual includes suggestions on how to best use the material with trainees, as well as help and advice on how to prepare trainees for teaching practice, lesson observations, written assessment and tutorials.

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The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Review

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(More customer reviews)"You really want to know what being an X-Man feels like? Just be a smart bookish boy of color in a contemporary U.S. ghetto. Mamma mia! Like having bat wings or a pair of tentacles growing out of your chest."
Meet Oscar de León. Once upon a time, in elementary school, Oscar was a slick Dominican kid who seemed to have a typical life ahead of him. Then, around the time he hit puberty, Oscar gained a whole lot of weight, became awkward both physically and socially, and got deeply interested in things that made him an outcast among his peers (sci-fi novels, comics, Dungeons & Dragons, writing novels, etc.). A particularly unfortunate Dr. Who Halloween costume earns him the nickname Oscar Wao for the costume's resemblance to another Oscar: playwright Oscar Wilde (Wao being a Dominican spin on the surname). His few friends are embarrassed by him, girls want nothing to do with him, and everywhere he goes Oscar finds nothing but derision and hostility. And he's not the only person in his family suffering through life: his mother, a former beauty, has been ravaged by illness, bad love affairs, and worry regarding her two children; and his sister Lola, another intense beauty, has been cursed with a nomadic soul and her mother's poor taste in men.
The kicker about the de León family? They just may be the victims of a bona fide curse (a particularly nasty one at that, called a fukú) as a result of their history with Rafael Trujillo, a former dictator of the Dominican Republic renowned for his brutality, and whose enemies uniformly met with disastrous ends one way or another (historical details about Trujillo and the history of his reign are scattered throughout the novel, a tidbit that may turn some off of the book, but rest assured that Díaz is so utterly entertaining a writer that they are a joy to read). The de Leóns are on a collision course with disaster, but can they break the curse before it's too late?
"you can never run away. Not ever. The only way out is in."
Embroiled in all this mess is Yunior, our primary narrator and Oscar's former college roommate (not to mention the philandering ex-boyfriend of Lola, the novel's other narrator), whose experiences with the de León clan will haunt him for the rest of his life. His attempts to help Oscar become more popular fail, as do his tries to escape Oscar's grasp. "These days," he remarks at one point, "I have to ask myself: What made me angrier? That Oscar, the fat loser, quit, or that Oscar, the fat loser, defied me? And I wonder: What hurt him more? That I was never really his friend, or that I pretended to be?"
Oscar is far and away the most poignant character to come along in a great long while; in my book he's every bit as memorable as Ignatius J. Reilly, Holden Caulfield, Randall Patrick McMurphy, and other literary giants. Furthermore, "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" is a phenomenal novel that is hysterical, hypnotic, heartwarming and heartbreaking in equal parts (and quite often at the same time). The plot is a madcap high-wire act balanced with astonishing dexterity by Junot Díaz. If he has a misstep it is in the denouement, which is rather sudden and slightly lacking in clarity for an otherwise thorough novel. Nonetheless, I loved, loved, loved this book. And, naturally, I highly recommend it.
Grade: A

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Building an ESL Collection for Young Adults: A Bibliography of Recommended Fiction and Nonfiction for Schools and Public Libraries (Contributions in Librarianship & Information Science) Review

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(More customer reviews)An excellent resource that filled a considerable gap when published in 1998, this library resource needs to be updated. The entire field has grown exponentially, new publishers and major texts have been published, and the internet and online education programs have completely revised the recommendations in the new media section.
Hopefully, this find resource for aduld education centers, libraries, and language schools will soon be updated and revised.

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Thinking about Mathematics: The Philosophy of Mathematics Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Anybody who's interested in why mathematics might have the least bit to do with philosophy will be interested in this book. To many the philosophy of mathematics may seem too specialized and peripheral to be of much interest. But such is not the case. The philosophy of math is intricately intertwined with many of the classic epistemological questions that I have never seen satisfactory answers to. This book will force you to think about things you have never considered before. Why does mathematics 'just happen' to describe empirical studies so well if mathematics is solely logical and in the head? Or is mathematics empirical and merely charading as necessary logical truth? These questions will be brought up in the book and the different answers given from the different philisophical sides.
Some of the book is a little dense and may be skimmed. He does go into detail a bit much in some places and the non technical reader will be lost. But Shapiro usually does do a good job of summarizing complex thoughts.
This book whetted my appetite for more and I plan on continuing thinking about these things and hopefully take some classes in mathematical logic and philosophy.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Thinking about Mathematics: The Philosophy of Mathematics

This unique book by Stewart Shapiro looks at a range of philosophical issues and positions concerning mathematics in four comprehensive sections. Part I describes questions and issues about mathematics that have motivated philosophers since the beginning of intellectual history. Part II is an historical survey, discussing the role of mathematics in the thought of such philosophers as Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Mill. Part III covers the three major positions held throughout the twentieth century: the idea that mathematics is logic (logicism), the view that the essence of mathematics is the rule-governed manipulation of characters (formalism), and a revisionist philosophy that focuses on the mental activity of mathematics (intuitionism). Finally, Part IV brings the reader up-to-date with a look at contemporary developments within the discipline. This sweeping introductory guide to the philosophy of mathematics makes these fascinating concepts accessible to those with little background in either mathematics or philosophy.

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Cambridge IELTS 5 Student's Book with Answers (IELTS Practice Tests) Review

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(More customer reviews)The service and postage of the book was really good, although for some reason i though it came complete with the tapes for the audio part of the training, as without it the audio training part is of no use.
I think that to be fare it should be specified on the ad that the book comes without the tapes.
Thanks

Click Here to see more reviews about: Cambridge IELTS 5 Student's Book with Answers (IELTS Practice Tests)

This book provides students with an excellent opportunity to familiarize themselves with IELTS and to practise examination techniques using authentic test material prepared by Cambridge ESOL. An introduction to the different modules is included in each book, together with an explanation of the scoring system used by Cambridge ESOL. The comprehensive section of answers and tapescripts means that the material is ideal for students working partly or entirely on their own. A self-study pack (Student's Book with answers and Audio CD) is also available.

Click here for more information about Cambridge IELTS 5 Student's Book with Answers (IELTS Practice Tests)

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