effect

I recently evaluated several books on this topic for inclusion my spring term reading list, and Jeremy Birn's "Digital Lighting & Rendering" has emerged as the clear winner. I learned a great deal from reading it myself, and am highly recommending it (although not assigning it) to the students in my Advanced Rendering class.

The book has "quality" written all over it: color printing throughout every page, Mr. Birn's own professional 3D renderings illustrate every section with an inspiring attention to detail, and every topic from art theory to the latest rendering algorithms is accurately researched and crisply described.

The book did not include a large number of tutorials or step-by-step projects, but was generously spiced with tips, tricks, and web links that I found immediately useful to my 3D work. The processes of developing professional lighting schemes, color schemes, and cinematic compositions were covered with a depth and thoroughness that has actually helped my concept sketches and oil paintings almost as much as my 3D work!

It was not focused around any specific application software, although I noticed a high-end bias, with examples and screen-shots frequently based in Softimage, Maya, 3D Studio Max, Lightwave 3D, and Renderman, although this book could easily be used by any reasonably experienced artist working in Hash Animation Master, POV-Ray, Truespace, or other affordable programs as well - high quality lighting is equally important in any 3D rendering package, and Mr. Birn has beautifully presented everything that a professional 3D artist needs to achieve it. In a sea of weak and mediocre computer graphics publications, this is a shining example of what can happen when an accomplished pro labors to share all of his knowledge - if you are currently creating any 3D renderings, I recommend buying and reading this extraordinary book as soon as possible.

If you're a hobby 3D graphhics artist or thinking of entering into the world of computer graphics, then this book is an essential resource to give you that realism factor often missing in artists works seen today.

The Book is superbly presented in glossy paper format with excellently reproduced colour images that generously fill the book as examples of how to achieve the right lighting for that perfect shot you were trying to setup but till now had no idea of how to achieve it.

This volume is a how to for novice and advanced artist alike, brilliantly guiding you through the ins and outs of rendering the most perfectly realisticly shaded 3D image possible.

Chapters guide you through Lighting workflow, three point lighting, Shadows (a must),Qualities of light, Colour, Exposure, Composition and staging (worth the price of the book alone), Materials and rendering algorithms(tips to turn a good work into a masterpiece)and Compositing(the absolute icing on the cake).

There is a Lot one can learn from this volume and dare I say that it has to be if not the best then one of the very best presentations on this topic I've ever had the good fortune to study from.

An in-depth look on the principles behind CG lighting, cinematography, rendering etc...This book covers almost all the technicalities in 3D graphics. Not only does it concentrate on developing 3D skills, but also the enhancement of one's artistic abilities and precepts. Really, this book is a must have, or might as well say, a necessity for all 3D beginners and enthusiasts. HAPPY RENDERING!!!

_A Language Older Than Words_ is one of the best books I have ever read. Derrick Jensen is without a doubt my favorite author of all time, and I highly recommend all of his books.

_A Language Older Than Words_ is written in a unique style which blends Derrick Jensen's personal experiences, conversations with other authors and activists, critical cultural analysis, as well as historical and contemporary events and facts to back up his analysis.

If you are concerned with domestic violence, ecological destruction, how civilization is responsible for both, and where we should look for answers, then this is a book for you.

No other author has contributed more to the way I view the natural world, civilization, and this culture in particular than Derrick Jensen. I recommend all his books, but I think _A Language Older Than Words_ is probably the best of his books to start with.

_A Language Older Than Words_ is written in a very non-linear conversational style. What at first appears like unrelated tangents are masterfully woven into a complex vision of how the silencing of the natural world is related to the silencing of the oppressed and abused. Intertwined with those concepts are gut wrenching first hand accounts of both, as well as other attrocities in the culture at large. But while there is much that is dark, the book on a whole shows a hopeful path to reconnection with ourselves and the natural world.

I first read _A Language Older Than Words_ a few years ago, and I have continually lent my copy to friends, and recommended it to everyone I know. If there is any hope for humanity, and any hope that the natural world won't be completely decimated, I think some of the wisdom in this book will help guide the way.

The reason that I love this book the most is because it is intensely personal in the way that it is written, in the subjects that are discussed, and what the author reveals about himself. Derrick Jensen's cultural criticism and analysis is not some abstract intellectualized theory, but rather put together and put forth in a very down to earth and easy to grasp way. He pulls no punches, and is willing to go against cultural convention when necessary to speak what the pepetrators of abuse (domestic, ecological, economic, social, and political) would have us all remain silent about.

Deep-ecologist, Thomas Berry, says "the universe is composed of subjects to be communed with, not objects to be exploited. Everything has its own voice. Thunder and lightning and stars and planets, flowers, birds, animals, trees--all these have voices, and they constitute a community of existence that is profoundly related" (p. 361). In his engaging book, Derrick Jensen encourages us to listen to those voices. Jensen is a familiar name to readers of The Sun magazine, where his interviews appear frequently. I first heard this LANGUAGE a year ago, when Jensen read excerpts from it in Tempe, Arizona. "There is a language older by far and deeper than words," he writes. "It is the language of the earth and it is the language of our bodies. It is the language of dreams, and of actions. It is the language of meaning, and of metaphor. This language is not safe" (p. 311). It is the language of "wind on snow, rain on trees, wave on stone, gesture, symbol, memory" (p. 2). And it is the language of interspecies communication.

Jensen's book belongs in the "life-changing books" section of the bookstore. It is as much a memoir as a "grenade rolled across the dance floor" (p. 108), encouraging us to wake up, pay attention, and listen (pp. 143; 248). This is not a "feel-good" bestseller. Rather, Jensen writes, it is "a cry of outrage, a lamentation, and at the same time a love story" (p. ix). As a victim of child abuse, Jensen digs deep into his personal experience to explore the silence and denial common to the world at large. "I wanted to write a memoir that moved beyond the microcosm of my personal experience," he explains, "to the macrocosm of the world in which we live" (p. ix). Why do we numb ourselves to our experiences, he wonders. Why do we deafen ourselves to other voices (p. viii)?

Through exploitation or annihilation, Jensen observes, our conscience and conscious awareness of relationship have been silenced by religion, science, politics, education, and violence, and we live by the maxim, "Thou shalt pretend there is nothing wrong" (p. 188). This book is about walking away from the "make-believe world" in which we "pretend all is well as we dissipate our lives in quiet desparation" (p. 6), and remembering "how to listen" (p. 7). "If we celebrate life with all its contradictions, embrace it, experience it, and ultimately live with it, there is a chance for a spiritual life filled not only with pain and untidiness, but also with joy, community, and creativity" (p. 142).

Jensen marches to the beat of his own drum, and the beat feels real. He shows that "wherever you put your foot, there is the path. You become the path" (pp. 150-51). We find the environmental activist in him wondering whether he "should write or blow up a dam" (p. 50), and pulling up surveyor's stakes (pp. 154-55). And we find him tending his chickens, dumpster diving for lettuce to feed them, conversing with coyotes, beekeeping, and shooing snakes off the road. He ponders, "what it does to each of us to spend the majority of our waking hours doing things we'd rather not do, wishing we were outside or simply elsewhere, wishing we were reading, thinking, making love, fishing, sleeping, or simply having time to figure out who . . . we are and what . . . we're doing" (p. 109).

This is a wise, old LANGUAGE that will speak to your soul, and then stay with you, reminding you "about the potential for life and love and happiness we each carry inside, but are too afraid to explore" (p. ix). I hope Jensen is working on another book in between his interviews for The Sun.

G. Merritt

Derrick Jensen is a master storyteller who skillfully weaves his own heartbreaking and heart-mending experiences together with a courageous and careful analysis of modern civilization and it's many causes and casualties. Jensen explores some of humankind's deepest and most personal questions and leads each of us to find our own answers by empowering and challenging us to simply turn to the natural world and ask. If you can put this book down, you will pick it up again (and again and again). You will be changed.

This is a must have book for the library of any watercolor artist! Nita Engle has been in the business for years and has the added advantage of being a very popular workshop teacher. If you can't attend her workshop, buy this book! I am a professional portrait artist whose husband is also an artist specializing in watercolors. Don't look for portraits in this book-look for some of the most amazing watercolor landscapes to be found in any book! This lady explains with no holds barred! Everything is detailed with a wonderful carefree banter. She is comfortable in her medium and her attitude. The many photos are outstanding! We were captivated by this book as there are too many wishy washy watercolor books out there with no real subject matter. We are quite critical of "how to" books that don't have any "how to" in them. If you are serious about watercolor and are ready for some major changes, then realize that this book won't sit on your shelf. You will be immediately rewarded with that artistic excitement that comes with the discovery of a new method or skill in which to energize your work! This is a gem and we speak from our experiences of years of making a living as artists!

This book is definitely not for a beginning watercolorist and I don't think the author and publishers intended it to be. If you are just beginning to paint in watercolor in a realistic style I recommend starting with books aimed for beginners first. That said, for high-intermediate to advanced watercolorists who want to learn new ways to add life to their paintings this is one of the best books out there using the pouring process as the primary means vs. painting with a brush. That doesn't mean Ms. Engle doesn't use brushes, it's just that they are only one of several techniques at her disposal.

I got this book after having read Creative Discoveries in Watermedia. So I understand why the title says 'Experimental Techniques for Achieving Realistic Effects'. Many of the same techniques from the Creative Discoveries book are used here as well. Everything from squirt bottles to pouring the paints and tipping the board to let the paint run where it will to textural techniqes for added interest. All the chapters introduce fun methods for paiting but I'm glad design (aka composition) has a chapter of its own. All the techniques in the world won't save a painting with a poor design (that's when you just crop it and make it a mixed media experimental painting!) :)

My favorite chapter is the last one. It discusses experimental techiques, mediums, methods, etc. This is the only watercolor book I've ever seen that mentions W&N's Aquapasto medium, a product I love for adding texture elements to some of my more experimental paintings. If you're an intermediate to advanced watercolorist looking for new ideas you'll find plenty of them here.

I've got this book about a year ago. Still read and re read it.
Nita Engle gives you an unusual, fantastic and very fresh look at the world. She also asks a very important question: what would you do if you really could express your self in Art without having any difficulties? This question, and the answer, was improtant for me. When i'm getting tired from my mistakes i simply open this book and remind myself that watercolor has endless possibilities and will give me lot's of happy hours... in the future. I only regret that the artist doesn't have any video's. I'm going to take a workshope.

As someone who teaches media, I have many of the books on AE out there and this is by far the most useful because it goes beyond the basics of the "how to use the program" while being detailed enought that those fairly new to the program, and the new features, can easily follow along. The case studies are especially useful as they detail the production process from concept to completion with suggestions on how to use these ideas in your own work. The tutorials and case studies are also for the most part very practical, make you realize just how powerful AE really is and the creative ways that others have used it (and helps me get out of some of my own creative stiffling ruts). Some books and videos show you how something works and what a slider does but you have no idea how you would ever actually use it in a real world production. Also, the book and CD are well laid out and the CD has some extra plugins, templates and additional articles.
Got me excited about AE all over again!

Wow, this book is amazing.
The authors presents the software to you, but they also make you think about the techniques and concepts.
They also have special guests in the book and various famous studios share their projects, visions and techniques.
This book is mostly targeted for intermediate to advanced users of After Effects, but don't be intimidated if you are a beginner.
The book comes with a fabulous CD ROM with the projects, movies, free tutorials and free plug-ins and an trial version of After Effects 5.0

When a new upgrade for a program comes out, most computer graphic authors just update their old book. Not these guys. This is a completely new book, that is everything that their old book wasn't. 'Creating Motion Graphics' was a thorough textbook for all the main features of the program. This book takes a different approach, offering 12 varied tutorials that help the reader master managing and problem-solving a project as well as learning version 5's new features.

Version 5 features are covered very well. The examples of parenting and 3D and expressions are good pratical real world examples, not just -this how you can warp someones face digitally- like some authors do. There's also a case studies section at the back that focuses on projects from other graphic companies, which is great also. I particularly enjoyed the lesson on using After Effects to export a Flash Animation.

If you don't have 'Creating Motion Graphics', I'd recommend that first, as all of its teachings are still valid (just no v5 features are covered). This book assumes a certain amount of experience, so if you're a beginner, classroom in a book would be more suitable.

Investigative reporter Mark Hertsgaard spent six years traveling around the world, gathering material for this book. This is not strictly a scientific treatise (although he conducted extensive research into his topics). Rather, he reports through the eyes of the people who live in the environmentally damaged places he visited. The theme of the book is how technology has both benefitted and harmed the planet and its inhabitants, and how greed continues to threaten our existence. His accounts of wanton destruction of nature in the 19th century make the reader gasp with dismay over the short-sightedness of our predecessors: the damming of a mighty river and its magnificent waterfall; the murder of the largest, oldest sequoia on earth. (Two of the examples which brought me to tears.) The horror is: the destruction, the contamination, and waste are still happening. And not only at the hands of totalitarian regimes or ignorant third-world peasants, but due to the callousness of greedy American corporations and government lobbies. The conclusions of Chapter Three, "The Irrisistable Automobile", will come as no surprise to most American readers, although the images of the perpetually gridlocked traffic-jams of fume-choked Asian cities astonished even this rider of Southern California freeways. Statistics of the predicted explosion in automobile sales world wide are especially ominous. This book was published in 1999 and exposes the hypocrisy of the Clinton administration in paying lip service to environmental issues while simultaneously caving to the demands of the powerful fossil fuel lobby. If Chapter Three is gloomy, Chapter Four, "To the Nuclear Lighthouse", is utterly terrifying. The account of Hertsgaard's visits to the most blighted areas of the former USSR is preceeded by a dismal, just recently uncensored history of the Soviets' worst nuclear disasters. While everyone knows about Chernobyl, few people knew about the radiating of the Siberian region of Chelyabinsk. Few, that is, other than the hapless residents who've been suffering its effects for years. With the aid of his translator, Russian author and photographer Vlad Tamarov, Hertsgaard conducted a relentless expose' of the deliberate coverups of "incidents" at nuke plants and shipping lanes, which irreversibly poisoned crops, fisheries, and even the water table. Even more worrisome than the damage already done are Hertsgaard's reports of poorly inventoried and practically unguarded nuclear stockpiles in volatile republics such as Kazakhstan. The American reader who attributes Soviet environmental crimes to Communist cruelty is in for an ugly shock -- Hertsgaard then documents identical coverups by our own government, of similar "incidents" on our own soil! From Russia, the author journeyed to China and Africa to report on overpopulation and its adverse effects on nature, health, and standards of living. The bleak narrative ends on a hopeful note: "Sustainable Development and the Triumph of Capitalism". Since the publication of "Earth Odyssey", the Bush administration has all but declared war on the environment, so even that fleeting hope now appears elusive.

The real story of our global environmental crisis that holds one like a great novel. Bravo! Mark Hertsgaard. For your daring, and your insight, and for taking us all on your travels around the world that we might all see what our consumer oblivion is doing to our precious planet earth. This book is a great read, friends. More than a nudge that it's time to wake up - it inspires one to do so, and to tap our neighbor on the head too.

Having just read Mark Hertsgaard's THE EAGLE'S SHADOW I moved on to his much longer and earlier book EARTH ODYSSEY. Though not intending to read all of this important information in one sitting, I found this book so well written as well as informative that it became a page turner that happily usurped an entire evening. Try to bed down after reviewing the state of the world's environmental crises! Yet in the darkness, having finished the book, there was time to reflect on just how important it is to get this information to the entire public. Not just the active Environmentalists, those who know intuitively the dangers we have bred and are still breeding, but the Everyman out there - all of us who glibly fill our multiple cars with gasoline, clog the freeways, allow the government to ignore Global Warming, remain uninformed about the terrifying diasters associated with the world's nuclear energy programs.

Hertsgaard is a fine journalist and as such he traveled the globe from 1991 - 1997 observing, breathing the noxious air in China, the extreme poverty in Africa, the filth in Russia, India, among the Third World countries, and reporting the complacency echoing in groups who live in this deteriorating world and do very little about taking action to guard our planet's future. Currently the media (such as it is) is alerting us to the presence of an Asteroid a mile wide apparently headed for the earth from outer space. That incident, devastating though it would be, is only a possibility. The more pertinent devastation ( our clamouring for "the better life" through industry and its concomitant wasting of our natural resources by knowingly turning them into poisonous by-products ) seems to go unnoticed. Hertsgaard intermixes reportage with very readable converstaions with people around the world and the result is a book that feels as though it unites all of us, even though that core of unity may be a shared terror.

Had we more writers like Mark Hertsgaard who are brave enough and concerned as deeply about 'Whither mankind' perhaps our newspapers and magazines and television/radio news shows would feel compelled to report the important issues before us today rather than search for the latest movie star wedding or sex scandal or whatever sells commercial space. Take this journey with Hertsgaard and wake up to a morning of commitment to the guardianship of our fellowmen.

This book is a timely antidote to all of the B.S. that is propagated by those like the last revewer.

Drug addiction "counselors" are the absolute worst, most biased source of information about marijuana you can find. These people deal with drug addicts and other mentally disturbed individuals on a day in - day out basis and have usually lost all contact with reality in regards to the "drug use" of the vast majority of the population in the real world. There is absolutely no harm in smoking a joint now and then (the actual pattern of use by just about everyone who smokes pot in the real world.) Personally, I find the experience quite valuable in finding new ways to appreciate music, art, food, and sex. "Psychologically addictive?" Not NEARLY as much as television. "Physical withdrawal syndrome?" Nope. (The REAL get-your-kids-hooked drug pushers are the [legal and government-subsidized] tobacco companies.) "The 'astronomical' human toll of traffic and industrial accidents?" NOTHING when compared to alcohol. "The economic costs of marijuana's (so-called) amotivational syndrome?" Believe me, television is WAY, WAY, WAY more "amotivating".

Marijuana is the only illicit drug that is used across all social, economic, ethnic, age, occupational, and regional boundaries. It was originally made illegal for racist and political reasons and it is ridiculous that it remains illegal. Get this book, read it, then loan it out to everyone you know.

Whether you smoke pot or not, read this book! Anyone who wants to hold their own in a conversation about marijuana (be it legalization, medical uses, or whatever) will value from it.

I'm still in high school so I'm all too aware of how biased and slanted the war against drugs is. Since 2nd grade, I was told the dangers of smoking marijuana: amotivational syndrome, loss of intelligence, increased agression, etc. Sure, we've come along way since "one toke and you're a slave," but they still use a lot of scare progaganda. Instead of letting us make our own decision, they divide us: the potheads and those against it. Those students who begin to oppose marijuana, do so without knowing its medical benifits or its contributions to civil society.

Lynn Zimmer's book is a great antidote to this. Pure scientific data conserning marijuana use. The myths of physical addiction, amotivational syndrome, memory loss, and crime are clearly and scientifically debunked. This book is by no way preaching marijuana use either. Zimmer delivers the good along with the bad.

I recommend this book to people of all ages who have heard all the government/educational propaganda and are ready to see marijuana for what it really is. Believe me, I went through the D.A.R.E. program with did nothing but increase my curiousity in drugs. Marijuana has many medical, social, and healing values, but many are turned off by what they hear from those all too common sources. This book is a quick read and a great start to an objective look at the value of marijuana.

I love weed, i love it, but not as much as i love p*ssy

The main chracters of the book are Kate Gordon her father Jim ,Treey Nimeu,and Merlin. The stroy is mainly about kate,merlin.and
Teery,as they try to stop Nimu from getting the Horn Of Merlin and from controlling the

I will start by saying that I am HUGE T.A. Barron fan. If there is anyone looking for an amazing fantasy story packed with adventure, T.A.Barron is the author for you. Even though this book starts out a bit slow, it progresses steadily until you can't put it down. This is the third book of his with Kate Gordon as the main character, and it is terrific. This time, her adventure takes place underwater, with an ancient monk, a legendary ship, a massive whirpool, songs of the whales, magic, and much more. READ THIS BOOK!

Kate Gordon has joined her father and a team of researchers on a search for the lost ship the Ressurection. But while searching for the ship Kate is hurled into a swirling whirlpool. She awakens at the bottom of the sea and meets Geofry of Bardsedy. Together with the unpleastent researcher Terry, they set off on a quest to find the lost horn of Merlin and battle the evil sea enchantress Nimu. T.A. Barron created the absolute best Merlin book ever. His words are as mysterious as the old wizard because of the way they hold you till the last turn of the page. Into adventure and mystery? This is the book for you A must read!

Although I am a big fan of Suzanne's 3 previous cookbooks (not her dessert book) I've been disappointed with this one. Everytime I look through it for possible recipes, nothing gets my attention. If you haven't tried her other cookbooks, get them instead of this one.

I have read Suzanne's other books and sort of was into them but never really grasped it enough to want to committ to this WOE UNTIL NOW with this new book! It just is wonderful! The ideas for fast food options for somersizing, new recipes, the success stories, the pictures of suzanne and her family and the food are always WONDERFUL in ALL her books but this one here just caught my eye and made a believer out of me and from what I skimmed through makes a WHOLE LOT OF SENSE and I definitely will be moving into the YEAR 2003 SOMERSIZING and saying GOODBYE to all the low-fat mentality that has been drilled in my head for soooooooooooooo many long years! Bravo and hats off to Suzanne for yet another WONDERFUL BOOK and her products she has on HSN are TRULY WONDERFUL! THIS WOE has to be better than others considering the fact that you can eat such delicious wonderful food and you get back to the basics-COOKING and NOT EATING at FAST FOOD JOINTS! This is the true answer to weightloss many of us have been looking for, including me and I'm ready to take the SOMERSIZING JOURNEY IN 2003. THANKS SUZANNE AND KEEP THE GOOD THINGS COMING! ~HAPPY HOLIDAYS~

Not only is this book more of the same delicious food that fits the Somersize guidelines, it's additional information plus the "rules" for Somersizing, which was not in the 3rd book. One caveat, a few of the recipes call for something only available on Suzannesomers.com. It's not a big deal, but for Somersweet you can substitute pure crystalline fructose or saccharin, both of which are less expensive and easy to get. (Splenda, I don't know, I haven't tried it yet, but she eschews chemical sweetners.) I made the Southwest Eggs-In-A-Pan Casserole, and it's fabulous, and easy to make ahead, as is the Spinach "Bread" for Green Eggs and Ham, or any other concoction you'd like. Flexibility is another plus for Somersizing, but if you have been doing this a while, you know that. A lot of pictures of her family, a lot of insight, and as one would expect, a lot of good food. Enjoy

Hello, I am a serious student of astrology, and I did not enjoy this book. It spoke too much of my previous life, and it is more copious than it needs to be. In addition, the author only talks about the nodes in signs and houses, and does not include aspects. The information provided is superficial and available for free on the Internet.

Email me if you have any questions or would like to discuss the book.

I have been interested in astrology all my life, and have recently begun in-depth study. As part of my journey in knowledge, I found I wanted to know a lot more about the North Node, and the message and lessons it imparts. Jan Spiller's book is giving me great guidance in this area. I highly recommend it to any astrological student, but especially anyone wanting to learn about the North Node.

This book may be the only astrological book you'll need to counsel your mid-life crisis clients! Profoundly transformative, this book offers incredibly detailed explanations of the motivations, including past life and karmaic influences, for each of the 12 signs the North Node can fall in. It also offers a North Node sign determination page, so you know by just glancing at a table what your client's North Node sign is. If you only buy this book to read the 20 or more pages of information and guidance on your own sign, it's well worth the money for the guidance! You'd have to find a very rare astrologer who knows this info, and pay them 2 to 5 times as much for a one time reading. Get to know yourself: Buy this book!

The Quite Cricket book is another favorite from Eric Carle. I have almost every book he has written. My favorite is The Very Hungry Caterpillar but this is a tie for second.. I loved how he illustrated all the other insects in the story especially the dragonfly. The large drawings would hold the attention of a young child. This isn't a book for a new reader some of the vocabulary is a little difficult. The only draw back to this book is when the battery that makes the cricket sound dies, it is rather expensive to replace.

My two year old son loves The Very Quiet Cricket; and this book, along with "Brown Bear, Brown Bear...", have been his bedtime favorites for months. Toddlers and parents alike will enjoy the repetitive and rhythmic nature of the verse (my son heaves a very dramatic sigh every time I read "...but nothing happened, not a sound." The simplicity of the tale lends itself nicely to parental embellishment, which is great for those who like to add a bit of their own drama to a story. I love the fact that I can tailor my reading of it to suit the hour or my son's mood, making it shorter or longer, exciting or soothing. Eric Carle's illustrations alone make this book a worthy addition to any child's library.

I agree with the reviewer who complained that this is not "first reader" material, but I would add that "The Very Quiet Cricket" is more about the joy of reading than about teaching the mechanics of sounding out simple words.

My 8 1/2 month old is fascinated by the wonderful artwork and the chirping sound. I expect he'll enjoy the story when he can understand the words. However, there's an inconsistency in the text that drives me crazy. The three crickets are referred to as "he" and "she," but the praying mantis and worm are referred to as "it." Argh!