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Most criticism of The Lord of the Rings trilogy emphasizes the most likely heroes in the tales: Aragorn, Frodo, Gandalf, and even Sam. From popular to scholarly literature, the women and smaller characters often go overlooked. But our notions of what makes a hero have altered since September 11, and sometimes the most unlikely people can come to embody all that we look up to and admire in a person. Here, Lynnette Porter examines what we mean when we talk about heroes, and for the first time illustrates the heroic qualities that can be found in the women and other beloved, though less-celebrated, characters in the The Lord of the Rings books and movies. She takes a critical look at the importance of literary and cinematic heroes in general, emphasizing the roles of Merry, Pippin, Galadriel, Eowyn, Arwen, Legolas, and Gimli, who can all be considered heroes despite their relatively smaller roles. She shows, ultimately, that our attraction to and celebration of heroes does not have to be limited to the leading man, but rather that women and youth often display essential characteristics of true heroes. Bringing together a discussion of both the books and the movies, Porter reveals for readers the heroic nature of several characters in The Lord of the Rings who have been ignored in terms of their status as heroes. Nevertheless, these female and youthful characters have received incredible popular acclaim and illustrate the shift in the way the Western movie-going public identifies and glorifies heroes. While other stars may have outshone the likes of Merry and Pippin, Arwen and Galadriel, Porter redirects the spotlight on these favorites of the books and movies to show us how the roles they play, the actions they take, and the behaviors they display are worthy of our praise and admiration. This unique and refreshing perspective adds dimension to our understanding of The Lord of the Rings phenomenon.

An interview with Lynnette R Porter, author of Developing an Online Curriculum: Technologies and Techniques, is presented. Porter says that teaching through the Internet poses special challenges for teachers. The technology must be used well and consistently, and teachers often have to work with technical specialists who may not be familiar with the teachers' subject areas or with the teaching process. Also, teachers must be able to write well and get the \"inflection\" of their words across through print. However, more learners than ever expect more non-print, interactive materials in their classes, which also means that teachers have to be able to develop a wider range of multimedia materials and activities. Several traits are helpful for any educator, but those who work with students purely online especially need curiosity and flexibility.

The tagmemic matrix audience analysis is a device used by writers to help them visualize their audience and write appropriately for the specific audience. A sample matrix is presented.

Porter reviews \"Evaluation and Implementation of Distance Learning: Technologies, Tools and Techniques\" by France Belanger and Dianne H. Jordan and \"Web-Based Learning and Teaching Technologies: Opportunities and Challenges\" by Anil Aggarwal.

\"Scholarly Publishing: The Electronic Frontier\" edited by Robin P. Peek and Gregory B. Newby is reviewed.

Porter reviews Pocket Book of Technical Writing for Engineers and Scientists by Leo Finkelstein Jr.

Porter reviews \"Easy Web Page Creation\" by Mary Millhollon and Jeff Castrina.