Creating the Not So Big House: Insights and Ideas for the New American Home

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Sarah Susanka has a not-so-insignificant idea in Creating the Not So Big House. She contrasts the glamorous, glossy-photo house plans of vaulted ceilings and palatial living rooms with the livable, day-to-day pleasure of cozy window seats and comfortable breakfast nooks, and her conclusion is resonating with families across the country: bigger but shoddier isn't better than smaller and well made. Descriptors like "spacious" and "expansive" fill the real-estate promos, but Susanka seeks the elusive yet affordable qualities that turn a house into a home. And she provides more than mere ideals around which to rally. She selected 25 house designs, from a southwestern adobe to a Minnesota farmhouse to a New York apartment to a Rhode Island summer cottage, and she profiles each home in great and well-illustrated detail.

Her ideas for interior as well as exterior views, airy stairways, diagonal views, and framed openings translate well in an array of different houses appropriate to childless couples and large families, as well as hot climes in Texas and cooler regions in Vermont. There are traditional designs to fit in with Massachusetts styling and contemporary designs to adapt to California cliffs, and they range from country spaces to suburban homes to city apartments.

Susanka selected house plans that are available for sale, because her purpose is to make affordable quality housing accessible to the general public, but they're also presented as catalysts for your own designs, because the house that worked for one person might inspire the plan that would work best for you. Whether you're in the market for a new house, want pragmatic renovation ideas, or are interested in the concept of space-saving abodes from a city-planning, philosophical perspective, Susanka's book is an eye-opener and a mind-expander, providing conceptual and practical tools to assist you in planning your own livable home. --Stephanie Gold

Book Description

Sarah Susanka's The Not So Big House spoke to millions of disenchanted homeowners who want to downsize their dream home without diminishing the dream. By evaluating what makes them feel at home and letting their activities define their rooms, homeowners end up with cozy areas they like and use rather than oversize formal rooms they never enter. Creating the Not So Big House explains what homeowners and potential homeowners need to know to get the home that fits their dreams and their lifestyles. Featuring 20 new houses and five remodels of the best Not So Big House designs, Creating the Not So Big House gives readers insight into successful home design.

Customer Reviews:

The not so big house is more of a Not so inexpensive house.......2007-06-20

We have read both books and did find some things interesting, there was only one or two houses in either of the books about the Not So Big House that would have worked for us. One thing we did find that the cost of the "not so big house"; because of many of the materials used; it is really more than what a number of people might find too expensive for their budget.

A must when designing your home.......2007-06-09

We are remodeling our house and my daughter and husband are about to build a new house. A friend of us got many great ideas from this book when they built their home, so they recommended it to me. I had purchased it as a gift for my daughter who, along with her husband, have been reading it since then word by word, and studying the pictures. They are so excited by the concept of a great home and the excellent ideas found in the book. It gave them the direction that they will definitely take when designing their new home.

MORE NOT SO BIG.......2007-05-04

A FURTHER EXPLORATION OF THE NOT SO BIG PHILOSOPHY, QUALITY OVER QUANTITY. INTERESTING AND INFORMATIVE, GOOD COMMON SENSE.

What a Great Idea Book.......2007-03-11

Creative ideas for the practical person. No cute gismos and such, just solid ideas and ways to make them work. Highly recommended.

Good Idea, But . . ........2006-12-29

Her premise that quality beats quantity is a good one. Unfortunately, her taste in architecture (or at least interior design) leaves a lot to be desired -- most of her examples are visually cluttered and will seem dated very quickly, as some indeed already do.

Creating The Not So Big House - Insights And Ideas For The New American Home

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Creating The Not So Big House - Insights And Ideas For The New American Home
Sarah Susanka
Manufacturer: Taunton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PHO36U

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Creating The Not So Big House Insights and Ideas for the New American Home
Susanka Sarah
Manufacturer: Taunton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UDYTZ4

Book Description

Cosme Tura was the first great artist from Ferrara, one of the major artistic centers of Renaissance Italy. This book offers a new and wide-ranging approach to his life and stylistically idiosyncratic works, placing both in the context of Ferrara`s religious, political, and intellectual milieu.

Cosme Tura of Ferrara: Style, Politics, and the Renaissance City, 1450-1495.(Review): An article from: Renaissance Quarterly

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Cosme Tura of Ferrara: Style, Politics, and the Renaissance City, 1450-1495.(Review): An article from: Renaissance Quarterly
Martha Dunkelman
Manufacturer: Renaissance Society of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Renaissance Quarterly, published by Renaissance Society of America on September 22, 1999. The length of the article is 785 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Cosme Tura of Ferrara: Style, Politics, and the Renaissance City, 1450-1495.(Review)
Author: Martha Dunkelman
Publication: Renaissance Quarterly (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 1999
Publisher: Renaissance Society of America
Volume: 52 Issue: 3 Page: 877

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Cosme Tura of Ferrara: Style, Politics, and the Renaissance City, 1450-1495

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Cosme Tura of Ferrara: Style, Politics, and the Renaissance City, 1450-1495
Stephen Campbell
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORQMOW

Product Description

In this book, you learn about digital black and white portrait, wedding and landscape photography. Get tips on how to capture a better image with the proper lighting. And, improve your images with information on digital enhancement strategies. Presentation and marketing tips are addressed. Author Patrick Rice is a professional photographer who has received numerous industry awards, including two Fuji Masterpiece Awards and Best of Show honors and the Grand Award at Wedding and Portrait Photographers International.

Customer Reviews:

Great book!!!.......2007-09-06

This is a very useful book that enriches the art of black and white photography in a digital age.

Great book.......2007-03-15

I learned a few things reading this book, about infared photography and such, but a lot of what he writes about is more technical, I wanted some tips, ideas and maybe inspiration. I recommend it to anyone looking to go professional. He covers portraiture a lot, which is helpful since people can sometimes be very hard to photograph well! I love the mini photoshop tutorials placed randomly throughout the book, also. Pick this up! Look me up on on flickr, (lovedecember) =]

Great Book........2007-02-15

This book is great for teaching you about black & white photography. Gives you all the info you need to take the picture and how to manipulate in photoshop.

Black & White photography is really hot right now. But there is a right and wrong way of doing it. In this book Patrick Rice walks you through all that you need to know to produce AWESOME black & white images that your clients will LOVE.

A disappointment.......2006-12-07

This book lacked information on most of the things one would expect given the title, such as exposure response of digital cameras, contrast control, grain control, lighting, and digital manipulation. It contained a lot of images which often were not tied at all to the text, lacked captions, and were boring. Some of the images seemed to be examples of what not to do, but were not labeled as such, given one the impression that the author was proud of these crummy pictures he took. Two things that were covered in some detail were making ragged looking borders and infrared b/w photography - both gimmicks. In all, there wasn't a great amount of text and little to help the reader improve his photography.

Great Pictures and Lots of Information.......2006-05-04

I found this book to have really great pictures and lots of useful information. In addition to the author's fine photography, the senior portrait work by Leonard Hill and the wedding work by Dennis Orchard weas just incredible.

The information on making a quality black and white digital photograph was well written and easy to understand. The extensive explanation of digital infrared photography was very informative as well.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking to become better at digital black and white photography.

It is worth the money if only to use the pictures as inspiration when photographing your next portrait or wedding client.

Book Description

What do you get when you mix the beautiful daughter of a brilliant scientist with an extra-dimensional radiation bath? You get Anne O'Brien, half of the dimension-hopping, monster-battling team of Monkeyman & O'Brien! Together, this super-intelligent gorilla and this uber-woman are the only things standing between the people of earth and the menace of living gargoyles, frogs from space, and the Shrewmanoid and his army of monsters! To put it succinctly, they're two rays of hope in a world gone mad! Join Art Adams for nonstop, eye-popping action in this science-fiction adventure.

Customer Reviews:

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Gave this another try, still didn't care for it, despite giant ape goodness.

I am not sure why I didn't enjoy this a lot, as it should definitely be of interest, but the story didn't seem to grab me at all.

Monkeyman and O'brien Comic #3 of 3 Sept. (3)

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Monkeyman and O'brien Comic #3 of 3 Sept. (3)

Manufacturer: Dark Horse Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic
ASIN: B000KOMFTA

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Monkeyman and O'Brien special
Arthur Adams
Manufacturer: Dark Horse Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006R9ODQ

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Monkeyman and O'Brien
Arthur Adams
Manufacturer: Dark Horse Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006RQ31W

Monkeyman and O'Brien #2 of 3 August 1996

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Monkeyman and O'Brien #2 of 3 August 1996
Arthur Adams
Manufacturer: Dark Horse Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic

General | Comic Strips | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Dark Horse | Publishers | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000T6FJX8

Product Description

"The Invasion of the Froglodytes!"

Book Description

Life began for Paula Rothenberg in a privileged home in New York City, but it took her to the battlefields of the culture wars on behalf of the underprivileged. Now this veteran of that cultural clash examines the subtle and complex ways in which issues of race, class, and gender impact people's lives.

A prominent figure in the creation of women's studies and multicultural studies as academic disciplines, Rothenberg is perhaps best known for her textbook Race, Class and Gender in the United States, which was widely attacked by conservatives defending traditional curricula. Now she shows how higher education upholds race, class, and gender bias, and, more generally, analyzes the ways in which many white people's unwavering belief in their own good intentions leaves them blind to their societal privilege and their role in perpetuating class difference.

In this candid look at social and academic realities, Rothenberg shares incidents from her own life and the lives of family and friends to show how privilege is constructed and to reveal the forces that make us unaware of it. Through recollections of her childhood in an upper middle class Jewish family and her college years in the early sixties, she tells how she discovered that the world one takes for granted as "everyday life" is in fact riddled with privilege of which we are unaware.

Reviewing the social upheaval of the seventies that challenged fundamental assumptions about gender roles, race relations, and even the nature of the family, Rothenberg tells how she gained a new understanding of what it meant to be an educator and activist. In sharing events surrounding the publication of Race, Class and Gender, she offers an inside look at the culture wars and brings her story into the '90s with a cogent discussion of hate speech and the "political correctness" controversy.

Rothenberg recalls the early mobilization against sexual harassment and recounts what it was like to create one of the first feminist philosophy courses. She also offers a hard-hitting critique of current teaching practices and a response to critics of multi-culturalism and feminism--as well as a look at how de facto segregation continues in American education in the form of tracking.

Both deeply personal and broadly social, this finely crafted memoir will capture the interest of anyone who cares about the future of education, race relations, feminism, and social justice.

Customer Reviews:

POOR READ!.......2005-12-11

I have to agree with the review before me, this book is purely a Marxist totalitarian charade with extremely one sided analogies.
To Paula Rothenberg; if you hate the U.S.A. and freedom, then leave it for a communist country!

A Propaganda Manual for the Committed.......2001-03-16

If you are entirely committed to viewing human destiny almost exclusively in terms of group identity, you will love this book. Rothenberg cheerfully acknowledges that she has no pretentions toward disinterested inquiry in her college courses or in her writing. She procedes from the assumption that racism and sexism are the underlying conditions of life in the United States and sets out to illustrate this. The book is an amusing compendium of the leisure-class totalitarian orientation and quasi-Marxiast group think that has become the status quo in American "higher" education.

Perceptive Insights into Significant Problems.......2000-04-18

A very well-done combination of personal recollection and political insights. The questions of gender, race and class are often presented in an off-putting manner that only appeals to the already committed. Because of the genuiness and the clarity of this book, it can serve as an introduction to these areas for those who still have something to learn about them.

PRIVILEGE: HOW DOES IT HELP? HOW DOES IT HURT?.......2000-03-12

"Invisible Privilege" is a multilayered book that I will enjoy reading more than once. It has the liveliness, humor, and candor of a good autobiography. But instead of merely telling one person's story, the author wears the analytical and critical lenses through which she views our society, to look at her own life -- without apology or mea culpa. She gives up the dearly held privilege of many of us "white liberals" to pretend that, in spite of the impact of race, class, and gender on American life, we somehow wriggled through unscathed, perhaps because of our own "natural" goodness. The author provides funny, poignant, eye-opening examples of how no one can rest on the laurels of being a good person with good intentions in this whirlwind society of ours. She is deepening the discussions of discrimination and exclusion, prejudice and hate, as well as of being human, and I look forward to her next book.

Customer Reviews:

Great book!!!!!!.......1999-04-06

Segei Federov is a hockey player. I'm glad Schnauber wrote this book. The book shares alot of info on Sergei's life and how he got to play hockey with the Detroit Red Wings!!! All fans of hockey , I recomend thic book heavily.

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Polar Diaries
Yevgeny Translated from the Russian By Sergei Sosinsky Federov
Manufacturer: Progress Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KF2J5E

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One of the best

Plain old common sense works

Making Life Easier

This Book Saved My Daughter's Life!

I don't think so!

Eating, Sleeping, and Getting Up: How to Stop the Daily Battles with Your Child
Carolyn Crowder
Manufacturer: Broadway
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Discipline | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
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Accessories:

Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers

ASIN: 0767907779
Release Date: 2002-01-15

Book Description

Renowned for her no-nonsense, realistic, and extremely effective advice, parenting expert Carolyn Crowder has observed that the ultimate parent-child standoffs center around mealtimes, bedtimes, and the start of day. For anyone whose child is more likely to rise and whine than rise and shine, Eating, Sleeping, and Getting Up restores sanity to the household, with proven insights on:
-Why nagging, reminding, coaxing, or bribing don’t work in the long run
-How to break the cycle of arguing, threatening, and spanking
-The keys to starting a new-and-improved routine
-Specific language for ending a variety of standoffs

The skills Crowder teaches here can be applied to any parenting situation. Presented in a concise, clear format and complete with worksheets of exercises for both adults and kids, Eating, Sleeping, and Getting Up is a lifesaver that will help end the chaos forever.

Download Description

For anyone whose child is more likely to rise and whine than rise and shine, Eating, Sleeping, and Getting Up restores sanity to the household, with proven insights on:

Why nagging, reminding, coaxing, or bribing don't work in the long run
How to break the cycle of arguing, threatening, and spanking
The keys to starting a new-and-improved routine
Specific language for ending a variety of standoffs

The skills Crowder teaches here can be applied to any parenting situation. Presented in a concise, clear format and complete with worksheets of exercises for both adults and kids, Eating, Sleeping, and Getting Up is a lifesaver that will help end the chaos forever.

Customer Reviews:

One of the best.......2006-02-03

I have four children and have read MANY parenting books. This is the only one I can recommend in it's entirety. I notice a difference in my childrens' behavior whenever I am too lazy or stressed to adhere to it's principles. Allowing your children to experience the natural consequences of thier actions is the best way to parent. As for the reviewer who equated allowing a school age child to go without lunch with child abuse, that is outrageous. Far greater than harm missing a meal comes from not learning resposiblity. Also, if you really have a three year old who can stay awake for 24 hours in a row...call the Guiness Book! Part of this approach means some effort on your part..you don't get to go to bed and allow you kids to "ingest dangerous poisons". You are misrepresenting the author.
I give this book to every expectant couple I know, and any parent who has daily battles with thier child. I've seen dramatic results with my children when I can stay calm and allow them to make thier own choices about thier behavior and deal with the consequences. Loved it, and the results!!!!

Plain old common sense works.......2003-03-01

My daughters are 19 months and 3 months old. I read this book to nip any problems in the bud. I didn't want to wait until there were problems and then have to correct them. I was quite relieved to learn that parenting style is the same as the one the author describes it should be. My parents had this same parenting style and there were never any eating, sleeping, or getting up problems. My brother and I knew that we had to do our homework, get up for school on time and go to bed. There were no if ands, or buts about it. This parenting style works and as far as I'm concerned it's just plain common sense. Not only that, but it works on other people's children too. Parents don't understand why their child will listen to me and not to them. It's all in the book. It's a good, quick and informative read.

Making Life Easier.......2002-03-09

This book is excellent at providing practical suggestions for families to use. I have followed Dr. Crowder's suggestions and found that with consistency they do make a difference. A must read for every parent!

This Book Saved My Daughter's Life!.......2002-03-06

As an Elementary School Principal, I am always on the lookout for books which will make a parent's life easier. This time I found one that not only helped the parents at my school, it saved my daughter's life. Whether a parent-child relationship needs a major overhaul or just needs a bit of fine-tuning, this book makes a real difference. We are using it continuously as a resource for both parents and teachers at my school.

But it is my personal experience with this book that sold me on its value. First, it helped me to recognize the problems that I was having with my strong-willed 4 year old. Next, it showed me how to recognize the behaviors that I was choosing that contribute to those problems. Once I swallowed my pride, I realized that things could be better. The best part was finding that the solutions that Dr. Crowder suggested were easily accomplished and really did work! I was amazed at how quickly I saw a change in our relationship. No more sass, no more subtle defiance. I am so used to books that take months to make a difference. This book made sense and made it easy to have a realtionship with my daughter that is now even more delightlful than before.

On a final note, I bless the day I read this book and decided to improve my relationship with my daughter. It literally may have saved her life. Shortly after completing the book, my daughter was hospitalized with a life threatening illness. Her compliance with the medical staff and my ability to perform follow-up care for her at home was dependent upon her willingness to do things repeatedly (22 times a day!) that were often either painful or "yucky!". With Dr. Crowder's help, my daughter was called a model patient by the mediacl staff, both in the hospital and at home. As a result, she is alive and well this week. I cannot think of a better endorsement. You never know when you may need to call upon your relationship with your child to save her life.
Thank you Dr. Crowder.

I don't think so!.......2002-01-30

I bought this book hoping to get some ideas for helping my 4 year old son to sleep a bit more independently. Once I started reading it, I was torn between laughing hysterically and wanting to have the author charged with child abuse.

Crowder starts out with an excellent premise, that parents should be in control and not get caught up in power struggles with their children. However,the consequences for negative behavior that Crowder recommends are just too extreme. The two examples that stand out in my mind are: 1) sending a child to school with no lunch or lunch money if they are not cooperating with making their school lunch and 2) if a child doesn't put their backpack away when arriving home from school, hide it in the trunk of your car, sending the child to school the next day with no backpack and no completed homework.

Yes, I am sure those measures would make the point. Aren't there some steps in between a parent could take that would be a hair less drastic? Steps that make the point without being cruel?

Crowder makes no allowances for what to do if the child doesn't kow-tow to her consequences. What if the kid doesn't care if they went to school with no homework? What if the three year old who won't stay in bed doesn't fall asleep on the floor (as Crowder says he will) and instead wanders the house at night, and ingests poisonous materials?

I dread the thought of a new parent picking this book up and actually trying to implement the ideas.

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Parenting, One of the Most Difficult Jobs in the World

An excellent systematic approach to managing kids behavior.

How to Stop the Battle with Your Child
Don Fleming
Manufacturer: Fireside
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Child Care | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Discipline | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
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10 Days to a Less Defiant Child: The Breakthrough Program for Overcoming Your Child's Difficult Behavior

Accessories:

Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 0671763490

Customer Reviews:

Parenting, One of the Most Difficult Jobs in the World.......2001-03-14

"How to Stop the Battle With Your Child", a #1 best selling book. Why? This book addresses the issues of sibling rivalry, discipline, frustration. Dr. Don Flemming talks about no-nonsense real-life situations and their resolutions. A way to understand your child's motives, reasoning and feelings about given situations as mundane as going to bed on time, or getting up in the morning. Insightful and enlightening.

An excellent systematic approach to managing kids behavior........1999-05-04

As a marriage and family therapist, I'm always looking for books to recommend to my clients. This book helps parents manage difficult children with a great system that has some very important concepts. For instance, you are given ideas on how to help your child develop self-control. I recommend it all the time!

Stop Arguing with Your Kids: How to Win the Battle of Wills by Making Your Children Feel Heard

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Glad I didn't buy this one!
A superb guide to the basics of responsive listening

Stop Arguing with Your Kids: How to Win the Battle of Wills by Making Your Children Feel Heard
Michael P. Nichols
Manufacturer: The Guilford Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Family Health | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1572302844

Book Description

For parents fed up with constant challenges to their authority-but who dread becoming tyrants in their own homes-this book provides a powerful new alternative to "because I said so." Trusted family therapist and author Michael P. Nichols takes on the number-one problem of parents today with the insight and humor that has made his earlier The Lost Art of Listening an enduring bestseller. Presented is a simple, easy-to-follow, yet remarkably effective way to put an end to arguments by refusing to argue back. Instead, the techniques of responsive listening help parents open up better communication in the family; create an atmosphere of respect and cooperation; and take children's feelings into account-without giving in to their demands. Loads of realistic examples help parents defuse whining and defiance and manage common conflicts with preschoolers to teens.

Customer Reviews:

Glad I didn't buy this one!.......2005-11-09

I checked this book out at the library. After finishing it last night, I am very glad I didn't spend any money on it! The first part of the book isn't too bad. The author gives fairly straight-forward advice in the first half of the book. I liked his suggestion to not worry so much about why your child is arguing, but focus instead on breaking the cycle of arguing. He has an easy to read writing style that doesn't get bogged down in psychobabble. It isn't anything new...How to Talk So Your Children Will Listen...does a better job.

However, by the middle of the book I started wondering if I was still reading the same book. The tone changes, and there are some really weird off the wall comments ("You guys work it out, I'm going to mix a pitcher of martinis..") He seems to assume that all teenagers will experiment with drugs and premarital sex, and treat their parents like dirt, so we should just make sure we don't argue with them about it. Toward the end he actually says "Parenting is an impossible job". That's why I was reading this book! I don't need to read a book to find out being a parent is a hard job and I just need to lighten up! The book has an abrupt ending. It left me with a feeling that the author just said "Our time is up", and walked out of the room.

Don't waste your time reading this one. The author obviously felt he was wasting his time writing it toward the end.

A superb guide to the basics of responsive listening .......2005-01-07

Psychology professor Michael P. Nichols, Ph.D. presents Stop Arguing With Your Kids: How To Win The Battle Of Wills By Making Your Children Feel Heard, a guide for parents to showing one's children that their feelings and thoughts matter without necessarily giving into their demands. The key to the method is refusing to argue back - one can make and stick to tough decisions, while still listening to what one's children have to say. A superb guide to the basics of responsive listening and how to break bad habits, get closer in touch with one's children, and weather the inevitable storms of adolescence. Highly recommended.

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How to Stop the Battle With Your Child

Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0134350588

Book Description

A mixture of travelogue, history and war journalism, Allah's Mountains tells the story of the conflict between this nation of mountain tribes and the might of the Russian army. It is also a story of the history, people and cultures of the Caucasus and of tiny ethnic groups struggling for both physical and cultural survival.

Customer Reviews:

A fair and unbiased look at a war.......2007-03-19

Nowadays its easy to go and scream Islamic Jihadi and radical Islamic militancy and terrorist, and the list goes on. Rarely do we find someone who leaves the blame game out of the situation, and actually looks at the situation with a fair and unbiased approach which then gives people a better understanding and not a twisted one, that is full of hate. The Chechynan cause has been a resistance against foriegn invasion and it will go down in history as so, we must not forget that the world isnt black and white, or as Mr. Bush puts it you are "either with us or against us". There are in between the lines things that must be known and this book gives us a great look into the Chechnyan Issue. A must read for anyone interested in history and current events.

a good overview of Chechnya that goes deeply inside.......2007-01-10

Sebastian Smith found a good equilibrium among history, politics, religion, regional pecularities of Chechnya. All these features help an outsider to deeply understand the reasons for the present state of the Chechen State. We see that Chechen problems that led to the war started not with the Soviet Union collapse, but long time before at the time of Russian Empire. Another thing is that Chechnya wasn't the only unlucky one - in present Russia there are dozens of nations and territories that were occupied by Russians (example, Tatarstan, a present Russian colony, that used to be an independent state - Kazan Khanat (Kingdom). Smith gives a profound look into the Russian-Chechen controversy, and the fact that the guy actually was there and experienced all the uglyness of the war make a person believe in what's written in the book and better understand why Russia is called "a prison of nations"

A good primer on the War in Chechnya.......2006-09-02

I came across the writing of Sebastian Smith in a New York Times Op-Ed piece and decided to look into what books he had written. Allah's Mountains is a well written book which goes through the conflict of Chechnya along with the regional conflicts which are sewn together to give the story of regional turmoil in the former USSR. It was amazing to read how the band of Chechan fighters held off the once proud Soviet forces using very simple tactics. On the other hand, Yeltsin does not come across as a very compelling figure and more of an embarrassment of leadership. For anybody looking to get insight into the Chechan war, Mr. Smith's book is a MUST READ. The only reason why it did not get five stars is because at points there is some repitition.

Interesting, but one-sided..........2002-09-22

I agree with both Mr. Yin and Leonides. The premise of the book was good, but the book is heavily biased and ultimately unsatisfying if you are a serious student of this and related conflicts. The author admits that the Chenchens are proud, but somewhat thuggish, then goes on to praise how they cherish their knives while at the same time castigating the Russians for acting war-like. War is murderous and both sides in this book play at savagery. The author cannot praise one side and castigate the other - and contradicting himself on many pages - for the same characteristics; he loses all credibility.

And, let us not forget that Chechens are supporting Al-Qaida and related extremist,Islamic groups.

Moving account of an unusual war.......2002-02-09

I highly recommend this book as a moving account of the wars in Chechnya and the only book to explore all the remote North Caucasus nations. Smith travels deeply among these little known, ancient peoples and in Chechnya he seems to have witnessed just about every major turning point in the first war.

Having enjoyed this book so much and also having read several others on Chechnya(Anatol Lieven, Carlotta Gall, Anna Politkovskaya) I was amazed by the uninformed review already on this site by a previous reader.

This reviewer says Smith is way too pro-Chechen and never shows the Chechens in a bad light, only the Russians. I found Smith was certainly showing sympathy for this people. But then as a people they are the ones hurting. Their capital Grozny, large parts of other towns, and many of the villages have been flattened by aerial bombardment and artillery. Maybe 100,000 people, probably far more (no one bothers counting anymore) have been killed out of the tiny population. Smith points out early on that the entire Chechen ethnic group is smaller than the Russian armed forces alone. Just think about that.

By concentrating on travels with the Chechen guerrillas, not Russian troops, Smith was able to see the frontlines and feel the same effects of war as the people living in the republic. Any journalist knows that trying to get information from a regular army, especially one committing war crimes, is unlikely to result in anything but lies. If Smith is wrong in believing the Chechen side to be suffering by far the greatest, then so is MSF, Amnesty, Human Rights Watch and the other western journalists who spent time there and wrote books about it (Lieven, Gall etc), not to mention the incredibly brave Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who is one of the very few to dare contradict her government's propaganda.

What has happened in Chechnya makes Kosovo pale in comparison and Milosovic is on trial for war crimes. Even in Bosnia the Serbs did not inflict such massive destruction - they didn't have half the Russian weaponry, after all. If Smith shows admiration for the Chechen guerrillas, then you do have to think about what he says he saw: a few thousand fighters with light infantry weapons tying down up to 100,000 Russian troops armed with helicopters, planes, tanks, artillery etc for several years.

I wonder if that reviewer even read the book. He/she says that the Chechens are not criticised, but on the first page I read Basayev was a terrorist and criminal AS WELL as being a hero to his own entourage. I read of a Chechen father trying to bury his son during a Russian air raid but cursing the Chechen guerrillas who had dragged him into the war. Etc, etc;

And as for there being no irony in writing about Aslan Maskhadov trying to prove he had a "regular" army by obstinately putting his men in unfavourable terrain against the Russian weapons, then that reviewer just doesn't get irony! What I read was just as he had announced this "apocalyptic" policy to Smith, an attack by Russian artillery started and Maskhadov (and Smith we suppose)had to run for their lives. Seems ironic to me.

Then there was some idea that history is given too much play in Allah's Mountains, the reviewer saying that to compare past Chechen-Russian relations so often to the present is like "comparing modern US-Mexican relations to US attempts to kill Pancho Villa".

Now this really IS ludicrous! Surely the whole point Smith was making, and it is one of the main points of the book, was that in a place like Chechnya the past really does sit very heavily on the present.

First you had brutal and long colonial conquest in the 19th century (Chechnya was about the hardest place to conquer in the whole Russian empire); then you moved straight into Soviet repression and Stalin's genocide in the 20th; then you went straight into the chaos and war of the post Soviet period. In other words there was never a moment when people might put the past behind or have any incentive to change their way of thinking. Conflict, conflict, that's all they know in Chechnya.

The reason it's important to understand this is that then you might have an inkling as to why against such ridiculous odds and at such a high price there are still today Chechens going out and blowing up Russian tanks.

Book Description

This introduction to Marco Polo examines the man, his background, the countries he visited, and the writings he penned more than 700 years ago. Painting a vivid picture of the world of trade in the 13th century, this book follows Marco Polo in his travels through Turkey (Constantinople), Armenia, Turkestan (Samarkand), the Gobi Desert, China, the Yangtze River, India, Burma, and Venice. It details Marco Polo's amazement with the East's agriculture, industry, commercial organizations, technology, urbanization, and standards of living.

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MARCO POLO : JOURNEYS AND THOUGHTS OF A 13TH CENTURY TRAVELER
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Manufacturer: ASTROLOG PUBLISHING HOUSE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KVNUZ6

Book Description

"A valuable exposition of the thesis that the explanatory work of theology possesses formal similarities with that of the physical sciences, the social sciences, and philosophy. Clayton exhibits an impressive command of a broad area of scholarship, and his reflections are balanced and carefully argued." -- Michael J. Buckley, S.J., Jesuit Theological Seminary

Explanation from Physics to Theology: Essay in Rationality and Religion

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Explanation from Physics to Theology: Essay in Rationality and Religion
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Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORYEJC

Explanation From Physics to Theology; an Essay in Rationality and Religion

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Explanation From Physics to Theology; an Essay in Rationality and Religion
Philip Clayton
Manufacturer: Yale UP
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N39AJ6

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