In the mid 21st century, teleportation becomes an everyday reality, the exclusive province of American citizens. But such luxury comes with a hidden price, known only to a select few within the U.S. government. Such knowledge can make the difference between life or death on the American Continent when terrorists south of the border threaten the United States with a stolen, lethal bio-agent. With time running out, the fate of an entire nation depends on the combined efforts of both the military and a reluctant group of civilians. Their only hope is to recover a technology so unique, no other country in the world has it. A technology so powerful, it can control the future. And now the race for that secret is on]... a secret locked in the mind of a dead man.

The Believer, a ten-time National Magazine Award finalist, is a bimonthly literature, arts, and culture magazine based at the Beverly Rogers, Carol C. Harter Black Mountain Institute, a department of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In each issue, readers will find journalism, essays, intimate interviews, an expansive comics section, poetry, and on occasion, delightful and unexpected bonus items. Our poetry section is curated by Jericho Brown, Kristen Radtke selects our comics, and Joshua Wolf Shenk is our editor-in-chief. Issues feature a column by Nick Hornby, in which he discusses the things he's been reading, as well as a comedy advice column.

The Third International Conference on Natural Language Generation (INLG 2004) was held from 14th to 16th July 2004 at Careys Manor, Brockenhurst, UK. Supported by the Association for Computational Linguistics Special - terest Group on Generation, the conference continued a twenty-year tradition of biennial international meetings on research into natural language generation. Recent conference venues have included Mitzpe Ramon, Israel (INLG 2000) and New York, USA (INLG 2002). It was our pleasure to invite the thriving and friendly NLG research community to the beautiful New Forest in the south of England for INLG 2004. INLG is the leading international conference in the ?eld of natural language generation. It provides a forum for the presentation and discussion of original research on all aspects of the generation of language, including psychological modelling of human language production as well as computational approaches to the automatic generation of language. This volume includes a paper by the keynote speaker, Ardi Roelofs of the Max Planck Institute for Psycholingu- tics and the F. C. Donders Centre for CognitiveNeuroimaging,18 regular papers reportingthelatestresearchresultsanddirections, and4studentpapersdescr- ing doctoral work in progress. These papers reveal a particular concentration of current research e?ort on statistical and machine learning methods, on referring expressions, and on variation in surface realisation. The papers were selected from 46 submissions from all over the world (27 from Europe, 13 from North America, 6 from elsewhere), which were subjected to a rigorous double-blind reviewing process undertaken by our hard-working programme committee

How to Play Keyboards offers an exciting new way to learn to play. Its easy-to-follow instructions and systematic approach enable you to start playing popular tunes on your keyboard within minutes-even if you've never played a musical instrument before. You'll learn keyboard basics like:
--fingering
--chords
--special effects
--playing by ear
--how to read sheet music
--playing with drum backing

and much more.

Filled with a wealth of instruction and inspiration, How to Play Keyboards is like having your own personal tutor.

20 circular dog walks, designed especially with dogs and dog walkers in mind. Here you'll find what we reckon to be the best dog-friendly walks in Somerset. All routes maximise off-lead time and minimise exposure to roads, while giving owners the chance to see Somerset's beautiful countryside - from woodland to seaside and everywhere in between. HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: * Walks across the open moorland of Exmoor and the Quantocks; * Strolls through the Mendip and Blackdown Hills; * Tarr Steps in the Barle Valley, where dogs can investigate woodland and river banks; * Seaside scrambles at Kilve Beach; * Running free on the open downland of Dolebury Warren with its ancient hill fort and stunning views; and the site of the medieval castle at Castle Cary ALL WALKS INCLUDE: * Details of livestock and stiles * Distance and terrain * Recommended dog-friendly refreshment stops * Contact details for the nearest vets * Where to park

Without Old Buck, there would have been no Civil War. Without Old Buck, there would be no President Obama. Without Old Buck, there would be no America as we know it. "Old Buck is that rare feat-a tremendously entertaining novel and an astonishingly enlightening one too. Evans... has written a book that will stand the test of time." David Goehring, Harvard University. All the principal characters and events are true. James Buchanan, 15th President, is the titular protagonist. Ann Coleman is the daughter of America's wealthiest war profiteer. Thaddeus Stevens is the nation's leading abolitionist Congressman. Their interwoven personal histories of poisoning, secret romances and the manipulation of memory and events charge this book with an excitement rarely seen, all set against a world of sexuality, slavery, women's rights and war. Old Buck is distinctive and often poetic, reflecting the best writing of the 19th century, yet will resonate strongly

In the mid 21st century, teleportation becomes an everyday reality, the exclusive province of American citizens. But such luxury comes with a hidden price, known only to a select few within the U.S. government. Such knowledge can make the difference between life or death on the American Continent when terrorists south of the border threaten the United States with a stolen, lethal bio-agent. With time running out, the fate of an entire nation depends on the combined efforts of both the military and a reluctant group of civilians. Their only hope is to recover a technology so unique, no other country in the world has it. A technology so powerful, it can control the future. And now the race for that secret is on]... a secret locked in the mind of a dead man.

When Charlie discovers an intruder in her kitchen she has no warning of the adventures which are to follow. The strange creature is Skrubb, a Gremal who has been sent to The Surface by his tribe who dwell deep in the Underworld. His cousin Skreng has stolen a sacred scroll and Skrubb has just three days to recover it - or his family will be put to death. Charlie recruits her bookish friend Ollie to help in a desperate race against time that takes them from the darkened halls of the British Museum to the modern towers of Canary Wharf, from caverns deep below the Tower of London to the corridors of power at Westminster. The quest will not be easy, for Skreng does not want to be found and others are also on the trail.

Learning to play the piano has never been easier. With easy-to-follow illustrations and fun practice pieces, this comprehensive step-by-step guide will have students well on your way to playing the music of your choice—even if they've never played a musical instrument. How to Play Piano covers basics like:

· Choosing the right piano

· Reading music

· Positioning fingers properly

· Playing chords and runs of notes

· Developing effective practice techniques and much more

Practice pieces range from "Ode to Joy" and "Yellow Rose of Texas" to "Yankee Doodle," making learning simple, fast and enjoyable.