A music student's record book by independent author and dedicated piano student Larry Zafran. This comprehensive six-month practice log and journal is targeted at highly dedicated music students of all levels and instruments, with an emphasis on those who are older and/or non-beginners. Each day's entry provides space to document practice efforts devoted to sight reading, scales, technical exercises, ear training, theory, and related topics in each category. Each entry also includes space to track practice of pieces in progress and old repertoire, as well as performance rehearsal, meditation/breathing, and physical exercise. In each entry, the student can also record his/her moods, assessment of goal achievement, total focused practice time, and notes to discuss with his/her teacher. There is also space in which the student can account for little, no, or poor quality practice, and a space in which a parent or teacher can initial if applicable. The book includes a weekly self-assessment form after every seven log entries, intended to be completed before or during each lesson. After every 28 daily entries there is a monthly self-assessment form which tracks progress with greater scope. The book concludes with a semi-annual self-assessment, including goals for the following six months. Additional log entry pages can be printed at no cost via the author's website.

A planner and journal for homeschoolers and involved parents by independent author and math tutor Larry Zafran. This record book provides space for 180 days of comprehensive homeschool planner/journal entries spanning 20 subjects. They are self-explanatory and adaptable for homeschoolers or involved parents who are tracking or supplementing the education of traditional school students. The book also includes an attendance calendar, forms to document the syllabus, textbooks, and materials being used for each subject, and fields to document other pieces of information which may be requested and/or required by government or school officials. Additional printable pages from the book can be downloaded at no cost via the author's website which also hosts a discussion forum.

This is the second book in the Math Made a Bit Easier series by independent math tutor Larry Zafran. It is a workbook of practice exercises, self-tests, and review notes to be used in conjunction with the first book in the series, subtitled Basic Math Explained in Plain English. The math content in this book is directly aligned with the first book. It covers the topics which comprise the foundation of math. It begins with practice in basic arithmetic, followed by basic operations, negative numbers, fractions, decimals, percents, and basic probability and statistics. If these topics are not completely mastered, later work will prove to be quite difficult. This is especially true of algebra. An extensive introduction describes how to obtain the greatest benefit from the book. The book also outlines practical techniques for attaining the optimal mindset for studying math and improving scores on exams. An answer key for all exercises and self-tests is included.

America's education system is in a state of crisis. A growing number of America's youth cannot read, write, or do math at all close to grade level. In many cases, these students and their families do not realize this or care. The situation is compounded by the fact that American society no longer values education, and does not understand how learning actually works. Frequent reference is made to the illusion of learning in underperforming schools. The book explains the difference between true learning and just being exposed to material. It explains the essential role that parents play, and that even with encouragement, a child cannot be forced to learn. The book is targeted at parents, teachers, administrators, government officials, and concerned citizens. Older students may also benefit from reading it. Despite its frankness about topics which are often disregarded and avoided, there is nothing in the book that students don't intuitively understand. In particular, many students regularly experience the anonymity of being herded like cattle. The goal of the book is to raise awareness, and discuss whether we can fix the problem. We cannot address our nation's education crisis until people understand its underlying causes and scope. The book tells the truth, in contrast to the misinformation provided by the government and the news media. Suggested changes for improvement are made, including those that can be implemented quickly and easily, and those that require a great deal of money and coordination along with a fundamental change in how America handles education. This book is controversial, and covers issues that may anger, upset, or confuse some readers. The book includes curse words to paint a vivid picture of the way many students speak, and bluntly labels key aspects of our education system as bullsh*t where applicable.

An independent book written and self-published by former math teacher and private math tutor Larry Zafran. Students are justified in proclaiming that "math is hard," but there is a specific reason why they feel this way. The author maintains that the struggle can be lessened by following the roadmap presented, but it will take time and effort on the part of the student. Since math is often not properly taught, it is often not properly learned. Anything that hasn't truly been learned, regardless of subject, is "hard." Once the various concepts are more secure, and the student's gaps in understanding have been addressed, math will have been made "a bit easier" as promised by the book's title. However, the book does not imply that learning math is fast, fun, or easy. Most of the book's content is comprised of the roadmap of topics for a student to work through at his/her own pace. Like all paths, it begins at the beginning, in this case starting with a review of basic arithmetic, followed by basic operations, negative numbers, fractions, decimals, percents, and basic probability and statistics. This is the foundation of all math. The space devoted to each topic is proportional to how difficult most students find the topic, as well as how important the topic is in preparation for later math studies. The material is explained conversationally and "in plain English" as promised by the book's subtitle, without talking down to the reader, and without the use of contrived examples or cartoonish illustrations. The book concludes with a chapter on how to effectively study math and improve scores on exams. Like the rest of the book, the chapter takes a unique standpoint on the matter, and offers suggestions which include how to get oneself into the proper mental and emotional mindset for being successful with math.

A book by independent author Larry Zafran who overcame three decades of being overweight. It is important for the prospective reader to understand for whom this book is NOT intended, and what this book is NOT about. This is not a diet book. It does not include recipes, menu plans, eating schedules, or calorie listings. It is not an exercise book. It does not include exercise schedules or routines, or pictures or detailed descriptions of exercises. It does not imply that losing weight is fast, fun, or easy. This book is NOT intended for anyone waiting for a weight loss solution in the form of a new food/drink, diet, exercise DVD/gadget, drug, or supplement. It is not intended for anyone hoping to lose weight via counting calories and regular weigh-ins. It is not intended for anyone morbidly obese or who has a medical condition requiring a doctor's supervision, or anyone convinced that s/he is "genetically programmed" to be overweight. This book is intended for adults with "typical" modern lifestyles, who are willing and able to accept that efficient and permanent weight loss requires basic effort and awareness, as well as small, gradual, practical changes to both eating and exercise habits. The author is not a doctor, celebrity, personal trainer, or dietician. After briefly describing his personal weight loss story, the book provides guidance for becoming aware of one's eating and exercise patterns, and slowly modifying them such that any changes are sustainable for life. The book includes chapters on emotional and interpersonal issues in weight loss, the impact of restaurants, fast food, advertisers, the news media, American culture, and myths. The author advocates using a detailed journal to track patterns and foster accountability. A companion journal is available but need not be purchased. The book describes how to make a journal oneself. Blank pages from the companion journal may be printed at no cost via the author's website which also hosts a discussion forum.

Readers may be surprised to learn that this protest begins with the following statement: “If you are called for jury duty, and are reasonably able to serve, it is important that you support your fellow Americans by serving to the best of your ability and with complete honesty, even if serving is inconvenient or unpleasant.” Having said that, the premise of the protest is as follows: America’s jury duty system, much like American society in general, has degraded to the point where it is essentially defunct. The system (i.e., summoning random citizens to appear in court) is essentially the same as it has always been, yet over the course of just the last 50 years, American society and the average American citizen have completely changed. By any reasonable standard, America has become a completely new country, and its citizens have devolved into a less advanced species. The majority of people summoned for jury duty are not qualified to serve—at least not by any reasonable standard. Being the proverbial “warm body” (albeit one who is a non-felon American citizen and at least 18 years old) is not sufficient. At minimum, a juror must be able to completely understand everything that transpires in a case, and be intellectually capable of doing more than simple keyword matching. Compliance with juror summonses is low. Some are wastefully sent to people who have moved or are deceased, but the concern is that many people toss their summonses in the garbage while likely thinking, “I never got it. I never signed for it. It wasn’t sent with delivery confirmation. They can’t prove anything. Let’s see them waste their limited budget to come after me.” Even though the overwhelming majority of court cases are not handled by a jury, we can’t have a system in which criminals are set free because they were entitled to a trial by a jury of their “peers,” but no such people were available. We also can’t have a system in which people who have been falsely accused of wrongdoing are left with no other option than to plead their case to a judge. If someone mentions the phrase “jury duty” at a social gathering, many people chime in with “horror stories” (perhaps secondhand) about bad experiences, and share excuses and tactics they’ve used (or have heard were used) to get out of attending or serving on a given case. Some people are uncomfortable deciding whether to sentence a potentially innocent person to a long, harsh prison term (if not death), or awarding a large sum of money in a civil case. Others have anxiety about the logistics or financial ramifications of serving, and are concerned about losing their job, being punished by their employer, or falling behind on work. For the self-employed or unemployed, the concern may be lost wages or opportunities. The book includes sections addressing the minimum age and education level required of jurors, volunteering for service, references to religion in courthouses, jury nullification, plea bargaining with alleged criminals without juror approval, grand jury duty, mandatory jury service, the juror handbook, juror safety, the penalty for perjury, jury duty scams, a list of things the government can do to improve juror turnout, and a list of reasons why people are giving up on America’s justice system. Jury duty was, is, and hopefully always will be integral to America's system of justice. Having said that, our current system has become horribly outdated, and a great deal of change is needed. Hopefully, this book will serve as a model of how someone can express his/her viewpoints on a matter in a non-violent, non-destructive, and non-disruptive manner. The power to change laws, policies, and the collective consciousness of The People is best accomplished through the written or spoken word, and as a last resort, through non-violent, non-destructive, and non-disruptive demonstrations or acts of civil (as in “civilized”) disobedience and resistance.