Over the years JavaScript has gotten a terrible rap among Java developers. From its horrible type coercion to its incessant global scoping, JavaScript is full of pitfalls for those more accustomed to descendants of C++. Using Douglas Crockford's "JavaScript the Good Parts" as a rough guide, I will give a brief introduction of the language. I will show some of the common traps for Java developers, along with how to properly mitigate those issues. Topics include: type coercion, object creation, function invocation, and scoping.