Barbara Peterson
I am the publisher of The Thunder Child: Journal of Classic Science Fiction and Fantasy, a monthly webzine.
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Displaying Results 1 - 66 (of 66) for Yahoo! Voices
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Thrills and Chills with the Grandmaster of Horror and Science FictionEvery fan of horror or science fiction knows the name of Richard Matheson, from scripts for Vincent Price movies such as House of Usher, his own The Incredible Shrinking Man, to the classic vampire tale I Am Legend. Together now are his 86 short stories.
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Got an Idea? Write a Movie with The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever NeedA review of Blake Snyder's book on screenwriting. In Save the Cat, he explains everything you need to know about plot development, genres, and character development, so that anyone can create a movie that will sell. -
The Complete DVD Book: Designing, Producing and Marketing Your Independent Film on DVDA review of The Complete DVD Book: Designing, Producing and Marketing Your Independent Film on DVD. How to put your film on a DVD, how to make menus, commentaries, Easter Eggs, and then how to market it so people will inundate you with orders to see it! -
Book Review of Kong: King of Skull Island by Brad StricklandA prequel and sequel to the movie King Kong, Brad Strickland tells the story of the inhabitants of Skull Island, from the people who built the wall to the kongs, great apes of which King Kong was the best...and last. -
Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai FilmThe Samurai film is to Japan what the Western is to the US, movies full of heroes who resonate to the Japanese character. In order to fully understand, instead of only enjoy, these movies, a Westerner needs to know Japanese history and culture.
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Meet the Man Who Inspired Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Jurassic ParkWillis O'Brien founded the art of stop-motion animation, and his claims to fame are The Lost World, King Kong, and Ray Harryhausen. O'Brient was Ray Harryhausen's mentor.
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King Kong is Back!Whenever a movie of the stature of King Kong is to be released, tie-ins are not far behind. There'll be so much to choose from that you need a scorecard to figure it out.
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The Real History Behind The Da Vinci Code by Sharan NewmanThe Da Vinci Code is one of the more controversial books of all time, for all that it is a work of fiction. But how much of it is based on historical fact, and how much on fiction. Sharan Newman explains in this easy to use encyclopedic work.
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Book Review: How to Be a (Bad) Birdwatcher by Simon BarnesBirdwatching brings us enhanced enjoyment of the ordinary, the easy and the safe, it brings us moments of high drama, gratification, dangerous delight. Simon Barnes explains the allure of this most popular hobby, and what it says about ourselves -
Voices of War by Tom Weiner Gives First-Hand Accounts of Front LineForget movies. Forget fiction books. You want to know what it was like to face fire, read Voices of War. The soldiers themselves tell their stories, and bring you right into their lives. Next time Memorial Day comes around, think about what it means. -
Book Review: Whispers in the PinesThink of New Jersey and you think of pollution and the Superfund and people, people everywhere. Nature enthusiasts know where to go, however. The Pine Barrens is a designated ecosystem and provides all sorts of activities denied the urbanite. -
Book Review: Iraq: Opposing ViewpointsControversy still rages, and will continue to rage for time immemorial, on the Iraq War. Too many people read only one viewpoint on the subject, which is not the best way to get a complete picture of what's going on and why. -
The Wonderful World of Movie WebsitesMost people go see a movie and if they like it they make pick up the soundtrack. But there's so much to be found at the movie's website that you simply must go there to enhance your movie going experience.
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Book Review: Elvis by the PresleysElvis Presley, 22 years after his death, is still one of the most beloved musicians of all time, and in this book his family pay tribute to him with intimate stories. If you want to know what it was life living with Elvis, this book tells you. -
Book Review: Joe Leydon's Guide to Essential Movies You Must SeeA movie guide to the classics that have defined genres, influenced filmmakers, and still serve as standards by which other films are measured. Looking for ideas for movies to rent - this is the book that will provide them.
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Book Review: Iraq WarThere's an old saying, "Truth is the daughter of time, not of authority." This book, Iraq War, attempts to provide a fair, balanced account of the events leading up to the Iraq War, the War itself, and its aftermath, up to late 2004. A good introduction. -
The Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GeorgiaEvery year since 1986, fans of the fantastic have foregathered in Atlanta, Georgia at the time of the Dragon*Con. This year it is taking place from Friday, Sept 2-5, and as usual there are hundreds of guests to fit the taste of just about anyone. -
Book Review: Ayn RandAyn Rand is most famous as the author of The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957). To understand her philosophy, and what drove her to create it, you need to know the history of her life. Ayn Rand provides an overview of that life. -
Book Review: Earth vs the Sci-Fi FilmmakersWho remembers what film won the Oscar in 1933? It was a Western, Cimarron. But ask if anyone has heard of King Kong, everyone says...sure! Tom Weaver, interviewer extraordinaire, brings together 20 genre greats for sci fi and horror reminiscences.
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Robert Sullivan Tells All You Ever Wanted to Know about RatsRats! The very word sends a chill down the spine of anyone who hears it. But Robert Sullivan writes about rats in an entertaining way in "Rats: Observations on the History & Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants." -
Old Time Radio Inspired War of the WorldsOld time radio drama is a forgotten medium today, except by a large band of dedicated enthusiasts who collect and listen to the programs, and relive the thrills of yesteryear.
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Book Review: 'Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office' by Lois FrankelWomen who want to make a successful career often find it hard to get to the top - to break the glass ceiling. The book provides excellent advice on what's wrong and how to fix it.
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Book Review: 'The Last Monarch Butterfly' by Phil SchappertThe Monarch is the most recognized butterfly in North America - practically everyone has seen the large, bright orange-winged creatures flitting about at one time or another. The Monarch, for all its multitudes, is an endangered species. -
Book Review: 'Bat Boy' by Matthew McGoughIn his fun and fast-paced memoir, McGough brings us through two years in the life of a bat boy. In his first year, 1992 they finished 4th, and in 1993, his last, they finished 2nd. -
'Reading the Rocks: An Autobiography of the Earth' by Marcia BjornerudTo a geologist, stones are richly illustrated texts, telling gothic tales of scorching heat, violent tempests, endurance, cataclysm, and reincarnation. Bjornerud explains the concepts in this fascinating and fun look into the autobiography of the Earth.
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Book Review: 'The Daily Drucker' by the Father of Managment ScienceIn today's tough economic climate it's more important than ever for managers to be the best at what they do - motivate employees, accomplish goals efficiently, create products or services that sell, and keep their businesses on a sound footing.
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Book Review: 'Mystery of the Nile'Scutarro and Brown try at running the whole of the river, some 3,200 miles from source to sea, an exploration dreamed of for centuries. This dream of "running" this river had led to the deaths of dozens of adventurers over the last several decades.
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Book Review of 'The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury'Ray Douglas Bradbury was born on August 22, 1920, in Waukegan, Illinois. His middle name was given him by his mother, after the actor Douglas Fairbanks, and presaged Bradbury's own work in film years later.
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Book Review: 'Up from Zero' by Paul GoldbergerManhattan's World Trade Center consisted of two towers, four smaller buildings and a 47-story high-rise. The towers became known as a symbol of New York, and were prominently featured on every postcard of the Manhattan skyline. -
'Your Evil Twin: Behind the Identity Theft Epidemic' by Bob SullivanIdentity theft. Whose fault is it? Individuals who don't protect their identities...or the financial organizations to whom they entrust their personal information, in the belief that these huge companies do all they can to safeguard this vital data?
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Book Review: 'The Power of Reading' by Stephen Krashen"There is no literacy crisis, at least not the kind of crisis the media have portrayed... There is...a problem. Nearly everyone in the United States can read and write. They just don't read and write well enough." -
Classic '50s Sci Fi Movies RevisitedWhen it comes to watching movies, there's nothing new under the sun. When it comes to movie appreciation (otherwise known as movie criticism) there's lots of undiscovered country out there. Take the 1953 science fiction classic It Came From Outer Space.
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Review: 'American Nightingale: The Story of Frances Slanger, Forgotten Heroine of Normandy'Much has been written about the conflict of World War II, which many see as a battle against good versus evil. Most of it has been written about the soldiers who fought and died, but there were other brave individuals whose stories need to be told.
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'One Magical Sunday' Remembers Phil Mickelson's 2004 Masters Win at AugustaPhil Mickelson's book is subtitled But Winning Isn't Everything. It isn't, of course. It's only what you win that matters. Mickelson played on the PGA tour for ten years. But he never rated a biography. After winning his first major, he got two.
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Orbanes' Book on Parker Brothers Details the Big Business of Board GamesTwo thousand products later, Parker Brothers is one of the best known and most beloved of all game publishers. And somewhere in the process, its games have gone from simply reflecting the values of the country to helping shape them.
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Doug Macdougall's 'Frozen Earth' Explains Ice Age, Threat of Global WarmingGlobal warming is a hot topic these days. To understand what global warming is, and whether or not we need to be afraid, one must start by learning about the ice ages, and Frozen Earth is an excellent introduction to the topic.
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'Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise' Reveals Covert Moves of Restaurant CriticWhat do secret agents and restaurant critics have in common? Well, with the notable exceptions of James Bond, and John Steed and Emma Peel (the Avengers), they don't want to be recognized.
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'Adaptations' a Collection of Short Stories That Became Cult or Classic FilmsThis Adaptations is an anthology of short stories that were the basis for 35 movies. Why do filmmakers adapt from literature, anyway? Editor Stephanie Harrison quotes film theorist George Bluestone: "Film feeds off literature like sharks off a marlin."
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'The Long Goodbye' to an Alzheimer's PatientThere are a few diseases that destroy the body but leave the mind intact - Lou Gehrig's disease, and MS. These diseases put their victim in one particular kind of hell. And then there's Alzheimer's disease, which destroys the mind as well.
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Book Review: 'Distilling Knowledge: Alchemy, Chemistry and the Scientific Revolution' by Bruce MoranAlchemists have a bad rap today, but what they were really doing for hundreds of years was seeking after knowledge...they wanted to understand their world...and make money while doing so, of course. When did alchemy turn into chemistry, and how?
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Mark Pinsky's 'The Gospel According to Disney' Reveals Building of an Empire"...in more than thirty-five animated features Disney has released...there is scarcely a mention of God as conceived in the Christian and Jewish faiths shared by most people of the Western world and many beyond.
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How to Ensure Your Fund-raising Effort Gets CustomersNow that it's summer, it seems not a weekend goes by that I don't bike past a group of giggling teens standing on a street corner, displaying illegible signs advertising their fund-raising task - usually a car wash. -
The Quiet Heroism of German Actor Conrad VeidtIn his own way, German actor Conrad Veidt was just as heroic as anyone who picked up a rifle and went into battle against evil.
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'Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig' by Jonathan Eig Details a Tragic, Insipirational StoryLou Gehrig retired midway through the 1939 season when his disease, ALS, became too much even for the Iron Horse. He died two years later, on June 2, 1941. He was 38 years old.
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Book Review: '50 Ways to Protect Your Identity and Your Credit' by Steve WeismanThere's an old saying, meant to be humorous: "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you." Identify theft is the fastest growing crime in the United States, and ruins thousands of lives each year.
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Book Review: Jacquard's Web"Great... inventors start out to solve a practical problem, then their solution soars off into uncharted skies whose scope they could not have imagined when they embarked on their work."
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'A Fine Brush on Ivory' Recognizes Jane AustenJane Austen, born in 1775, died in 1817 at the age of 41. Although she lived in a time when women were not given formal education, she was extremely intelligent and well read, and wrote from childhood onward.
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Biking Around Hampton Roads, VA: Cannons, Cannons EverywhereNewport News Park, with hiking and biking trails, an arboretum, playgrounds and picnic shelters, a campground, a 30-acre aeromodel flying field, archery range, and a disc golf course, is the gateway to Civil War and Revolutionary War sites. -
H.H. Shugart's 'How The Earthquake Bird Got Its Name' Provides Informative View of Environmental IssuesOn May 26, 2005, it was reported that a flower, the Mount Diablo buckwheat, thought extinct for sixty years, was found in a remote part of California.
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Book Review: 'Venus & Serena: Serving from the Hip' with Hilary BeardGirls today have more opportunities to reach for the heights than ever before - not only to make a career in sports such as tennis, basketball, and car racing, but also as scientists, inventors, politicians, explorers, and soldiers.
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'Zen of Zimmer': Don Zimmer Dishes on George SteinbrennerIf you want to get the dirt on George Steinbrunner, this is the book to read. Don Zimmer, bench coach for the Yankees, left after the 2003 season on less than amicable terms with its owner, and in this book he reveals the reasons why.
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Memories and Memorials at Fredericksburg, VirginiaI was always interested in American Colonial and Civil War history as a child, but since I lived in Minnesota there wasn't much I could do about it except read books and go to movies, if any.
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Book Review: How to Get Your Business on the WebThe Internet is changing lives, for good or ill, every day. There's more information available on the net: more news, more gossip, more sex, lies and video, then has ever been available in one place before. The internet is a place to be very careful.
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Atwood's 'Stealing History' Purports Preventing Looting Artifacts PossibleAlthough Roger Atwood states, in the final chapter of this book, that it is possible to stop the looting of our world's cultural heritage, one really wonders if it is.
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'Jesus And Mel Gibson's the Passion of the Christ' Presents All the FactsEvery time a "Jesus film" has been made, from the silent films which deliberately omitted the trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin, to the more recent films that have not, it has always produced controversy and concern.
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Red Sox' Leading 'Idiot' Johnny Damon on 'Beating the Curse'In 1920, the Boston Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees, and the "Curse of the Bambino" was begun. The Red Sox had won the World Series for the fourth time in 1918...
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Monica Redlich's 'The Nice Girl's Guide to Good Behavior' Re-IssuedThis book is, in reality, a course in how to subtly put down your friends and complete strangers, and get exactly what you want out of life at the expense of others. It's the type of book that Marie of Everybody Loves Raymond fame would love.
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K2 Comes Alive in 'Savage Summit'There are fourteen mountains in the world which have peaks over 8,000 meters (26,000 feet) high. These peaks are in what's called the Death Zone - "an altitude above which life begins to die."
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'The Art of the Incredibles' by Mark Cotta Caz Cries Out for a SequelThe Incredibles, released in 2004, is the sixth computer animated movie by Pixar, after: Toy Story (1995), A Bug's Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001), and Finding Nemo (2003).
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Book Review: 'Defining the Wind' by Scott Huler"There was something about describing the wind that sparked expressive language...and I think the answer is that the wind is invisible. You can't describe it because you can't see it. You can only describe what it does to things you can see..
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Boston Celtics' 'Cousy' Excellent Introduction to Hall of FamerBob Cousy was the man who kept professional basketball alive in its formative years. When he began his career as a Boston Celtic in 1950, the college game was king.
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'The Grand Slam' by Mark Frost Details Golfer Bobby Jones' LegacySeventy five years ago, in 1930, American golfer Bobby Jones achieved �the grand slam' - winning all four major tournaments of his era (the Open and Amateur championships of the United States and Great Britain).
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Lou Dobbs' 'Exporting America' Dispels 12 Myths About OutsourcingHardly a month goes in which a newspaper somewhere in the United States does not report of a company closing, life-long employees suddenly without jobs that are being given to Mexico, to China, or similar countries.
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Tori Amos: Piece by Piece: A Portrait of the Artist: Her Thoughts, Her ConversationsIt's a stereotype - grounded in truth - that women are always "chattering" away and that men never listen to what they have to say. But anyone who wants to get inside the head of singer/songwriter Tori Amos has to, in effect, listen to her.
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Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938 by R.A. ScottiThings haven't changed much in sixty-seven years. "People against nature" still makes for gripping tales of suspense, and the weather is as predictable now as it was then.
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Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. DubnerWhat's a rogue economist? Someone who says of himself, "I'm not good at math, I don't know a lot of econometrics, and I also don't know how how to do theory." But he can look at the way the world works with the tools of an economist and illuminate it.



