Customer Reviews (1)

Mr. Wallaby and Bernaby help young readers grow
Mr. Wallaby loves his cat Bernaby. But since Bernaby makes him sneeze, Mr. Wallaby tries to find a good home for his cat. The result is a trip around the world, only to find the best answer was close at hand. This early reader uses only 173 different words, making it easier for a child to start reading for themselves. The pictures help tell the story, but some may find a few of the characters dated. Fifty years on, it still is a charming book for beginning readers. My parents gave me a copy when I graduated kindergarten, and I read it to my daughter at about the same age. ... Read more

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The world of the haves and the have nots is antiquated. The coming world is of the haves and the have mores…this is a nuts and bolts approach to today’s problems with concrete solutions to bring about an era of peace. Included in this work is Marlon Brando’s solution to feed the world. The philosophy behind the book comes from following the works of Sir Edward Artis who has traveled the world and brought relief to some of the most dangerous places in the world. Millions of dollars get raised in the United States to solve problems and a lot of that money never hits the mark. We can continue doing the same things and the problems will not get solved. But doing the same thing will not lead to solutions. Solutions will come when ordinary citizens rise and do the work themselves. This book outlines solutions! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Passionate intentions meet practical ideas
The need for productive, inspiring, practical change should be the headline for our current times. Michael Carlin has put together a book of fresh ideas, inspired by a passionate soul, with the lofty goal of changing the world for the better. The largest changes start with the smallest steps; if everyone put ideas like these into practice on a daily basis the world would be a better place.

Inspiring, informative and timely
A Prescription for Peace, is inspiring, informative and timely. Most importantly it reminds us that by evreyone doing their small part we can have a big impact. Most of us our overwhelmed, it is just too many things at once, yes we would like that crisis supersized. It is difficult to keep perspecitve, to look past our own front door. America along with the rest of the western world is suffering from bad credit while the developing world is afflicted by famine, war or both. A prescription peace gives us simple concrete examples and suggestions on how each individual can make a difference, and by doing so, helping to make the world a better place for everyone.

Peace, love, and flowers
I give this book 2 stars instead of 1 star because it correctly applauds the efforts and results of Ed Artis' Knightsbridge group.The mention of Ed Artis is what pushed me to buy the book in the first place.However - the content of the book is weak and is not supported by facts or experience.I doubt if the writer has any experience carrying out his ideas.His statement about new technology (video cameras) inherently solving problems by bringing visibility to atrocious conditions tells me that he is very naive.The idea that the drug-crazed machete-hacking "ethnic cleansing" in Rwanda, Congo, Sudan, and other countries will stop when someone in the crowd has a video camera is preposterous.

The chapter titled "Clean Water" outlines the goals behind basic water management practices but doesn't address political, geographic, or environmental problems.The chapter titled "Food" features Marlon Brando's ideas.Brando was a crazy lunatic who loved ice cream so much that he was known to eat it while sitting on the floor next to the freezer in a grocery store.The internet is full of examples of his antics.Marlon Brando's ideas on food are certainly not trustworthy.

The chapter titled "Housing" is 1.5 pages in length.He writes, "We need more housing that is able to accommodate the homeless, drug users, the mentally ill and convicted felons after their release from a hospital, prison, or rehabilitation facility.This housing might be handled by the private sector.It doesn't need to be large in scale but it does need to have services beyond just apartment type living."Later in the chapter he writes, "Additionally providing housing will severely decrease crime and the need for police, court and paramedic services.The gains from clogging these systems will far offset the cost of this basic type of housing."These are poorly worded nice ideas that could be argued in a high school debate class if and only if they were backed up by a little research.His housing chapter was the end of legitimacy for this book, in my opinion.

The Best Book On Social Reform I Have Ever Read
Lots of people offer grand solutions to the growing crises in our nation; witness the speeches of the current presidential candidates. Yet nobody seems to have come up with real, practical proactive ways in which we can find our way to these solutions. Things we, as citizens, can actually do, to attack the problems of homelessness, unemployment, obesity, poverty, waste, and a general malaise of conscience and confidence. This is a book about overcoming apathy: it's about empowering each one of us to take a hard look at the root causes of issues that trouble people of conscience every day in America, and instead of pontificating, Carlin writes in a compelling, personal, relatable and non-partisan manner about the philosophy of personal action and responsibility and the joy of proactively taking steps to correct pain and lack in our individual communities. It's pretty clear that many people in the U.S. have lost this joy and this book truly galvanizes us all to think of what we can do to stand up for what's right and ACT on it. I love it - I recommended it to all of my friends and it's release is incredibly timely in today's environment. Also, Carlin is well-known speaker, writer and editor in the Los Angeles area with two sons serving in the Unites States military. He knows what he is talking about, and it shows. Exceptional.

Relevant
A book that is truly relevant in today's world.Provides real solutions that will work in the real world.

Kevin Blair
www.philanthroproductions.org
Party for a Better Future ... Read more

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This book illuminates contemporary educational reform discussions regarding teacher education programs and pre-K-12 schools by providing a clear analysis and application of John Dewey's relevant educational writing and ideas. The volume addresses issues of how future teachers should be liberally educated as well as prepared to be professional educators. Among the topics discussed in detail are:
*teacher training and preparation
*the teacher's responsibilties
*charter schools
*a common curriculum
*professional development schools
*new curricula
*school administration
*cooperative learning
*collaborative endeavors ... Read more

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Through a unique blend of case law, legal problems, and original GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) and GAAS (generally accepted auditing standards) pronouncements, this book gives students an applied knowledge of accounting and auditing sophisticated enough for any legal practice. ... Read more

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As recent developments have shown, supersymmetric quantum fieldtheory and string theory are intimately related, with advances in onearea often shedding light on the other. The organising ideas of mostof these advances are the notion of duality and the physics of higherdimensional objects or p-branes. The topics covered in the present volume include duality in fieldtheory, in particular in supersymmetric field theory and supergravity,and in string theory. The Seiberg-Witten theory and its recentdevelopments are also covered in detail. A large fraction of thevolume is devoted to the current state of the art in M-theory, inparticular its underlying superalgebra as well as its connection withsuperstring and N = 2 strings. The physics of D-branes and itsessential role in the beautiful computation of the black hole entropyis also carefully covered. Finally, the last two sets of lectures aredevoted to the exciting matrix approach to non-perturbative stringtheory. ... Read more

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Seven friends made a pact to write haikus every day for a year as a way to keep in touch with each other. The result is The Haiku Year. Michael Stipe's entries recall his twilight-drenched lyrics for R.E.M. Douglas Martin's spare, elegant prose illuminates the hidden corners of life while Grant Lee Phillips thoughtful storytelling is pared down to the simplest language. Hinting at the transcendence and banality of everyday life, the short verses signify an appreciation for small moments of beauty and ultimately urge readers to let these realizations pierce through the numbness of their daily routines. Photographs are included. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

HAIKU! Gesundheit.
I discovered this book years ago while randomly flipping through poetry books at a bookstore. I bought it because after reading the authors introduction I felt like I needed to. They wrote a "haiku" a day to eachother for a year, they admitted that sometimes they forgot, and that their work was not based on the traditional stlye that we are all forced to learn in grade school. The very short, and rather brilliant poetry of Jack Kerouac was their influence. So in actuality the poems in the book are what Kerouac would have called "pops", and therefore have no syllable pattern, seasonal reference is not required and it would make Basho cry. If you are looking for traditional haiku, this is probably a book to skip.

Now, I enjoy traditional haiku as much as anyone. I also have alot of respect for contemporary writers who can adhere to those standards that I, and perhaps many others, cannot. It is not to say that because of this the style should be abandoned, but niether should this idea of a Western form. The poems in this book give that form an excellent start, they embody many feelings and do indeed make the reader look at their life in a new way. I have read it several times over and shared it with friends who agree it has that effect.

I love this book because it is modern, involves daily life, and inspires me. I have been undertaking the Haiku Challenge for about five years now with mixed success, but it has made my everyday life all the richer.

Basho for casho
Big ego crammed into Haiku
fat heads barely fit;
a poor craft for shallow waters.

not for the haiku but ...
If you wish to see the best of contemporary English haiku this is not the book for you.However, it does have an appropriate place in the library.First, the haiku provide interesting insights into the lives of the authors.In keeping to the concreteness of the form, one see the authors' experiences more directly.They write more of what happened rather than what they think about the experience in retrospect.Second, the volume provides an example of an interesting approach to a personal journal - an approach than gains values over time rather than becoming the musings of someone you know longer feel you are.So in a strange way, I recommend this book.

It's the end of haiku as we know it...
This is what has become of haiku in English- and it is all bad.Haiku in America in general is vastly misunderstood and each of the verses in this volume show it.Some have three lines, some do not, some have kigo, some do not.By the looks of this, one can deduce that these "poets" gleamed their knowledge of haiku from Kerouac (another haiku fraud) rather than Basho. This is just an experiment really, conducted by a circle of friends who jotted down their thoughts and sent them to one another.Please, please avoid this title if you really care about or want to learn about haiku.Amazon should allow "0" stars when rating items such as this!

chill out
Not many people would argue that Japanese Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism aren't valid or relevant religions. They may not be much like the "original" forms of Buddhism but they are Buddhism and they have much to say (to say the least.) They are just also "japanese" and "tibetan" and unavoidably havea context.

I am a white American leftist yankee writing haiku, not some Japanese guy from a hundred years ago living on Mount Fuji.The syllable thing is bs anyway, since English syllables do not correspond in length to Japanese syllables.

Haiku Year authors never claimed to be Basho or William Higginson for that matter. If you read the Haiku Year you will see that its main purpose is to show a year of friendship and observation (with all its warts) and hopefully inspire other folks to write as well. Its is not a guide to writing haiku or held up as the pinnacle of haiku writing.

Muddy Waters is so much better than the Rolling Stones, but
"Dead Flowers" , "Monkey Man", and most of the Stones stuff rocks on its own merits. It also just might lead you back to Muddy Waters. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Neither funny nor insightful
The substance of this book is more cartoonish than the style. I bought this by mistake, confusing it with not-yet-published The Cartoon Introduction to Economics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

skin tight orbit:very well done.
..i seem to recall first reading this story in the pages of "heavy metal" magazine... but i must've missed a few installments because reading the story all in one compilation made it ten times better.thepeople who worked on this book are also prevelant in the comic bookindustry and sci fi/fantasy novel area... the work is some of the best andskin tight orbit is no exception.the art work and storyline bring to lifethe fantastic and gritty world.the elements of sexuality and lust arehandled maturely and beautifully.the detail of both scenery and charactermake skin tight orbit one of the best erotic tales around.it's set in asemi-sci fi futuristic sort of theme and thus lends to having wonderousscope and imagination put into the story.it is a credit to the artist andwriters talent and a good read for anyone into anything "heavymetal". ... Read more

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The perfect complement to computer architecture and logic texts. This widely praised tutorial and lab book gives practice in the fundamentals of digital logic and circuitry, with special emphasis on how the machine operates at the gate and register level. Presentation employs the TTL family of digital logic due to its wide availability and moderate cost. Exercises require the student to perform a simple designs and then implement them on hardware. Contains sufficient exercises for a 3-hour lab meeting, once a week, for a semester. ... Read more

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Volume II of Surgery of the Hip Joint is one of the few surgical books to focus on the vital hip region. This comprehensive reference is extensively illustrated and presents a detailed account of current developments in hip joint surgery, emphasizing the most up-to-date techniques of surgical management. It is written by experts in the field and provides an in-depth survey of all the surgical aspects of treating hip disease and details the methods used for the successful completion of these procedures. A compendium of practical application, this book will prove to be an essential tool for anyone involved in this area of specialization. ... Read more

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Biology of the Vipers contains exciting and novel research perspectives and insights, including up-to-date information on natural history, ecology and evolution, phylogeography, systematics and taxonomy, paleontology, physiology, behavior, reproduction, and conservation of pitvipers and true vipers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great discussion of issues in the church today
Great discussion with a bishop who participated in the Vatican II Council. With a nun and a lay person, Bishop Remi DeRoo discusses issues facing the church and the world today and also gives a perspective on the V II Council and expectations following it. ... Read more

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* Addresses the very latest advancements in products and models including skew models, volatility contracts, and implementation of generic pricing tools * Brings the distilled knowledge and experience of an expert Deutsche Bank team to your desk ... Read more

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In a distilled and pedagogical fashion, the contributions to this volume of the famous summer school in Les Houches cover the recent developments in supersymmetric string theory, the gauge theory/string theory correspondence and string duality. Further chapters deal with quantum gravity and D-brane geometry. Black hole mechanics and cosmology are treated too, as well as the AdS-CFT correspondence. The book is a comprehensive introduction to the recent developments in string/M-theory and quantum gravity. It addresses graduate students in physics and astrophysics. ... Read more

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Change Wars is the third book in the Leading Edge™ series. The Leading Edge series unites education authorities from around the globe and asks them to confront the important issues that affect teachers and administrators the issues that profoundly impact student success. The experts contributing to this anthology do not prescribe one method to transact change. They embrace the mission, trusting that teachers and administrators the true change leaders will venture to the Leading Edge to embrace the challenges and opportunities that will guarantee the success of their students.

In today's era of educational change where reforms proliferate, initiatives abound, legal responsibilities are constantly expanding, and both teachers and leaders complain constantly of overload, the challenge is no longer just how to implement particular changes, but how to choose between changes, prioritize them, and create coherence among all of them. This is a challenge for the teacher in the classroom, the principal in the office, and for policymakers in government. How do we do the right things well, not get distracted by the wrong things, involve and include everyone who is affected, keep the momentum and the impact going, and prevent burnout by ensuring the change agenda is manageable and coherent?

The 13 contributors to Change Wars tackle these difficult questions by offering their own theories-in-action of educational change the changes they want, why they want them, and how they believe they can be brought about and sustained so readers can reflect on change in their own situations and perhaps find areas of broad agreement. Change Wars provides a comprehensive view of the challenges of education reform from system, district, and classroom standpoints and examines the many perspectives of effective reform and implementation. Change Wars contains more theory than On Common Ground and Ahead of the Curve. The contributors are largely researchers and not practitioners. The majority of the contributors focus on system change from a broader perspective than the classroom level. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

(Almost) Everything you wanted to know about change in schools
Change Wars Hargreaves & Fullan (Eds.)

Change in schools is not something that is done well. In the past schools were seen as conservative institutions, and change has been resisted by the inmates. All of that changed in the 1960s, 70s and 80s as it was realised that the ubiquitous school systems were failing to accommodate changing demands made by society and its politicians. Change in schools became a highway littered with half baked, failed ideas, and so, the array of brilliant writers assembled by Hargreaves and Fullan provides a huge injection of optimism and hope. It is rare to get a book packed with cutting edge thought about change in schools, and written by such a stellar array of authors. While all of the chapters are interesting, I will briefly comment on the chapters that have been written by authors who are household names:
1. Andy Hargreaves: The fourth way of change. Andy Hargreaves provides a potted history of change since the 1970s (three ways). He then introduces a fourth way of change based on five pillars (an inspiring and inclusive vision; public engagement; no achievement without investment; corporate educational responsibility; and students as partners for change). The four catalysts of cohesion are particularly relevant.
2. Linda Darling-Hammond: Teaching and the change wars. Darling-Hammond sees four competing theories of change (bureaucratic, professional, market approach, and democratic approach).The author argues for systems of support for high quality teaching and learning .
3. Sir Michael Barber: System effectiveness to system improvement. Importantly, Barber noted that in the 1990s the focus of change moved from school effectiveness to school improvement (how to achieve effectiveness). In a strategic sense he has noted the current emphasis is on how systems become effective. In Table 1, the phases of development, provide a very useful tool that can be applied in schools.
4. James Spillane: Emerging practice. A world authority on distributed leadership, noted that a distributed perspective provides a conceptual framework between designed and lived organisations.
5. Richard Elmore: Institutions, improvement and practice. Elmore is a highly credible practitioner and his work for the Albert Shanker Institute recognises his standing with school-based leaders. Elmore recognises that improvement cannot occur without some conflict as the school culture changes.
6. Douglas Reeves: Level-Five Networks. Reeves argues that networks are a balance for hierarchies. Significantly, this article sets out a developmental model of five levels of effective networks: Level 1= contrived; level 2= spontaneous; level 3= co-opted; level 4= nurtured; and level 5= value-driven networks.
7. Ben Levin: Reform without (much) rancour. Ben Levin, like Michael Barber, is interesting because he moved between the public service and academia. Acknowledging the need to recognise the importance of politics in educational change, Levin suggested that there are four key elements to successful change.
8. Michael Fullan: Have theory will travel. In this article Fullan proposes a Theory of Action for System Change, which supports Barber's approach.
This handsome book is a valuable resource in any professional library but it is more than that. Importantly, this book allows school-based staff to effectively run professional learning for school leaders and aspirant school leaders. The publisher (Solution Tree) provides a study guide that is very useful for supporting and directing collegial discussion: Click: Free Resource-study guide-http://www.solution-tree.com/Public/Media.aspx?ShowDetail=true&ProductID=BKF254
... Read more

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Learn how to handle your wealth!
Unfortunately for me, I do not have to ask myself the "What now?" question about my wealth because I haven't amassed it yet.Many of you have created great wealth for yourselves and Michael Lipper and Douglas Sease have written a book specifically for you, to help you preserve the wealth that you have worked so hard to create and how to make it even bigger!Do you even know how much wealth you have? This book will help you to measure your wealth, learn about investing and what works for you, learn how to spend your wealth and when not to spend it. Mike Lipper is an analyst who has helped develop the Lipper Indices for mutual funds, so you are hearing this from an expert that can really help you. If you have been successful and have accumulated wealth that you just don't know how to handle, take the advice of a credible, and proven expert to make your money work for you and not against you. Many people are scared of investing, advisors and money, this book will help you shelve your fears.
If you are like me and don't have any wealth as of yet, I would recommend you read this book so that when your wealth hits you, you know what to do with it in a smart and knowledgeable way. ... Read more