The World of Music Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The previous editions were actually better. They contained a better variety of music, listening and topics. The new edition has blatant errors... ie page 60, the performer is misidentified as Huddie Ledbetter, it is Taj Mahal. Pat Metheny is misidentified as "Bob Metheny" p. 133. There are more errors and shortcomings but the worst part is the brevity. Can you imagine the only listening examples of American popular music include Ethel Merman, Bob Wills, Ricky Skaggs, Gretchen Wilson, Little Richard, the Allman Bros, and Toni Braxton?
World music topics are arbitrary and spotty. There is no mention of Arabic music, Flamenco, and other important and influential traditions.
Only a passing reference is given to Latin Jazz, Jobim's music has been eliminated from the current edition of CDs even though his Girl from Ipanema is one of the greatest selling jazz records of all time. The French Gypsy Jazz of Django Reinhardt and Stephan Grappelli is not even mentioned.
Overall, a great concept but needs augmentation.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The World of Music

The World of Music is a music appreciation book designed for instructors who want to focus on listening to music as it exists in the real world of their students. Expanding the traditional repertoire used for music study, this popular text begins with American folk, religious, jazz, popular, and ethnic music before introducing some world music and concluding with a thorough overview of Western classical music. The approach captures the essence of each repertoire, and equips students to recognize different styles, appreciate their different functions, and possess a solid foundation for a lifetime of musical appreciation.

Click here for more information about The World of Music

Read More...

Systems Analysis and Design (Shelly Cashman) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)There are few things I can say after reading this book pretty much from cover to cover:
- Nowadays there are lots of critics of structured SAD, so if you're happen to be one of them, I am pretty sure you will not give this text a good grade. While it does cover Object-Oriented SAD, it is not build upon it. This text (as it seems to me) is revolves around structured SAD using SDLC.
- I liked this text because it has LOTS of colorful diagrams, screen-shots, and charts. This gives a text more alive presentation and makes it more fun to read, even though you're getting lost in terms and abbreviation.
- The text has plenty of abbreviations because SAD process integrates all system components. You can imagine how much data that is, especially considering the fact of collecting that data and organizing it.
- I thing this text by itself will not make you an system analyst. You will need to read more, but it serves well as an introduction to SAD.
The obvious negative thing - these editions that coming up new each year are costly for students, but this is a issue of all comp. textbooks, not just this.Brief contents:
-ch 1. Introduction to Systems Analysis and Design
PHASE 1: SYSTEM PLANNING
-ch 2. Analyzing the business case
PHASE 2: SYSTEM ANALYSIS
-ch 3. Requirements modeling
-ch 4. Data and process modeling
-ch 5. Object modeling
-ch 6. Development strategies
PHASE 3: SYSTEM DESIGN
-ch 7. Output and user interface design
-ch 8. Data Design
-ch 9. System architecture
PHASE 4: Systems implementation
-ch10. Systems implementation
PHASE 5: SYSTEMS OPERATION, SUPPORT, AND SECURITY
-ch11. Systems operation, support and security
THE SYSTEM ANALYST'S TOOLKIT
Toolkit 1: Communication tools
Toolkit 2: CASE Tools
Toolkit 3: Financial Analysis Tools
Toolkit 4: Project Management Tools
Toolkit 5: Internet Resource Tools


Click Here to see more reviews about: Systems Analysis and Design (Shelly Cashman)

Building on the proven pedagogy of its predecessors, with an increased focus on object modeling and project management, Systems Analysis and Design, Seventh Edition presents a clear introduction to systems analysis and design. Students will find concepts easy-to-understand through the clear writing style and full-color figures that illustrate current technology and trends. Examples and cases are drawn from actual systems projects that enable students to learn in the context of solving problems, much like the ones they will encounter on the job. This approach, combined with motivating tools such as the SCR Associates interactive Web-Based Case Study, Systems Analyst's Toolkit, the Student Study Tool on CD-ROM, and more, makes Systems Analysis and Design, Seventh Edition a wise and exciting choice for your introductory systems analysis and design class.

Click here for more information about Systems Analysis and Design (Shelly Cashman)

Read More...

Spanish With Michel Thomas (Deluxe Language Courses with Michel Thomas) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The language learning system that Michel Thomas has put together is perhaps one of the easiest methods to learn a foreign language. Not quite as easy as one would be lead to believe from the cover, it is still one of the easiest methods I have ever had the pleasure of using. And pleasure is the operative word, just listening to the CDs is all that is required. No note taking, no study of vocabulary lists, nothing in the mode of traditional language learning. Instead of going straight through the complete system I listened to each CD twice before going on to the next one. The end result was that I could watch the Spanish channels and understand what is going on. After finishing six of the eight CDs I was at a local tourist attraction with a friend who had just completed a thirteen week course at a local college. A Latin woman approached us seeking help and he was totally useless while I was able to work through her conversation and provide her the answers that she needed. How long did it take? I just listened to it in my car instead of the stereo for two weeks. Will you be totally conversant after completing the course? No. But you will have a good strong background in basic conversational Spanish and be able to carry on basic conversations with others. The best way to learn conversational Spanish on the market today.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Spanish With Michel Thomas (Deluxe Language Courses with Michel Thomas)


Anyone can learn a language with Michel Thomas--The World's Greatest Language Teacher.

No books. No writing. No drills. And nothing to memorize--ever! With his unique program, Michel Thomas has taught celebrities, corporate leaders, and schoolchildren--with immediate and amazing results. Now the Language Teacher to the Stars invites everyone to join his class!

Using Spanish with Michel Thomas, listeners learn in real time--fully understanding as they go along, turning words into short sentences, and then building them into longer, more complex sentences, until they are conversing in Spanish.

Michel will have listeners formulating their own thoughts and sentences from the very beginning, even if they have never succeeded in learning a language before. Michel has used this very method to teach celebrities such as Mel Gibson, Woody Allen, Barbra Streisand, Warren Beatty, and Princess Grace of Monaco.

Click here for more information about Spanish With Michel Thomas (Deluxe Language Courses with Michel Thomas)

Read More...