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Stress-Proofing Your Child
Sheldon Lewis
Manufacturer: Bantam
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Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers
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Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer
ASIN: 0553353195
Release Date: 1996-02-01 |
Book Description
The stresses of new environments, dangerous schools, and changing emotional demands take a terrible toll on children. Stress-Proofing Your Child catalyzes the latest research on relaxation techniques, guided imagery, and affirmations, and imparts step-by-step instruction and innovative exercises to help children deal with such sensitive issues as parental divorce, schoolyard taunting, the birth of a sibling, hospital stays, and learning disabilities. Sheldon and Sheila Lewis outline a comprehensive--and fun--program filled with clear, informative illustrations and fascinating case studies. Stress-Proofing Your Child is for every parent looking to help maintain a child's well-being through the tough times that they ultimately will have to confront.
Book Description
The hopeless yet determined resistance of American and Filipino forces against the Japanese invasion has made Bataan and Corregidor symbols of pride, but Bataan has a notorious darker side. After the U.S.-Filipino remnants surrendered to a far stronger force, they unwittingly placed themselves at the mercy of a foe who considered itself unimpaired by the Geneva Convention. The already ill and hungry survivors, including many wounded, were forced to march at gunpoint many miles to a harsh and oppressive POW camp; many were murdered or died on the way in a nightmare of wanton cruelty that has made the term "Death March" synonymous with the Bataan peninsula. Among the prisoners was army pilot William E. Dyess. With a few others, Dyess escaped from his POW camp and was among the very first to bring reports of the horrors back to a shocked United States. His story galvanized the nation and remains one of the most powerful personal narratives of American fighting men. Stanley L. Falk provides a scene-setting introduction for this Bison Books edition.
William E. Dyess was born in Albany, Texas. As a young army air forces pilot he was shipped to Manila in the spring of 1941. Shortly after his escape and return to the United States, Colonel Dyess was killed while testing a new airplane. He did not survive long enough to learn that he had been awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor.
Customer Reviews:
Glad to find the book about my cousin.......2007-01-22
I was so thrilled to find the book written by my cousin, Edwin Dyess. WE had an old copy of the Chicago Sun's article written by him back right after he returned home from Bataan. After visiting Edwin's hometown of Albany and his gravesite recently, I took a chance and went on line to see if there was anything in bookform and BiNGO. Leave it to Amazon to have most anything I am looking for. Thanks Amazon. Read the book. It is totally amazing how one man could endure such terrors.
Must read "Bataan Death March: A Survivor's Account".......2004-04-14
"Bataan Death March: A Survivor's Account" by William E. Dyess is a very descriptive book about the Bataan Death March, a torturous march from Bataan to various prison camps. The march started on April 10, 1042, and it involved American and Filipino soldiers being stripped of their belongings and forced to walk about 100 miles in the hot sun. The soldiers were cruelly treated by the Japanese soldiers, usually beaten until unable to walk and sometimes killed right on the spot. Most of the time they were not given food or water, and when they were given food, the portions would be just a small bite.
The book gives readers a look at the Bataan Death March from an actual U.S. soldier's experience. Lt. Col. Dyess survived this horrendous act and he decided to write a book to tell the American people what he went through. The book was very well written, and it had many details of the march, details that no history text book could even start to explain.
I really liked "Bataan Death March: A Survivor's Account" because it gave me a sense of what the soldiers had to go through. Dyess' experiences helped me understand the awfulness of the Bataan Death March because he explained them so vividly, and even through his words I could hear the passion in his voice. With the author being a survivor, having a first-hand account of what actually happened on the Bataan Death March really helps readers understand the enormity of the situation.
All in all, I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about what happened on the Bataan Death March. It is a very poweful book that takes the reader back in time to World War II.
Average customer rating:
- enjoyable supplement
- Conveniently manages to overlook the "why"
- Mean-spirited fluff
- Enjoyable
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Aspects of Aristocracy: Grandeur and Decline in Modern Britain
David Cannadine
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy
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Mellon: An American Life
ASIN: 0300059817 |
Book Description
In this stylish and handsomely illustrated book, the eminent historian and author of The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy brings his characteristic wit and acumen to bear on the British aristocracy. Probing behind the legendary escapades and indulgences of patricians such as Lord Curzon, Winston Churchill, Harold Nicolson, and Vita Sackville-West, Cannadine offers controversial reappraisals of the aristocracy, transforming wastrels into heroes and the self-satisfied into the second-rate.
Customer Reviews:
enjoyable supplement.......2006-01-17
Well-written, this book is a supplement to the author's Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy, a full treatment of the landed aristrocracy, and gentry, in the years of decline, from 1870. This book consists of essays on particular aspects of the subject. I thought it was fair in tone, the comments about the Churchills in particular are in line with evaluations in several biographies of Winston that I have read.
Conveniently manages to overlook the "why".......2004-11-18
This is a mean-spirited and vindictive book that makes no pretense about actually revelling in the mounting misfortunes of the British upper classes. It offers very little historical research, but a great deal of waxing eloquent on the uselessness of the aristocracy.
He gets so into this, that much of what he says is wrong: he describes Winston "Churchill's family and forebearers were hardly those which any politician, eager to establish an unimpeachable public reputaition, would have freely chosen." Um, except that they were all well-respected politicians in their own right, and Winston's father had been considered, for many years, next in line to be Prime Minister (a raging case of syphillus drove him mad and that was the end of that... but his affliction was not public knowledge and wouldn't have hampered his son's career).
He takes great joy in describing the misfortunes of the upper classes, without actually examining the causes: more often than not these declines had to do with the rising cost of living in a huge stone palace (as electricity, plumbing, and heating became necessary), the decline of the sevice industry (as factory work became a better option for the lower classes), the decline of the agricultural industry from which most of these people supported themselves with (as cheaper food could be imported from overseas), and a few significant stock market crashes. Instead, he drops hints that the sudden and disasterous lack of money was purely a personal fault.
He discusses the people who hang on to their country houses but require government aid to support them, completely ignoring the fact that 1) the government won't let the owners tear them down because they're historic and architectural landmarks and 2) the owners literally can't GIVE them away because the National Trust is already glutted with them and can't afford the upkeep on the ones they already have.
Cannadine's thesis is one that deserves taking into consideration: that it's time historians stopped fawning over the upper classes and started to look at them, warts and all. However, by the time this book was published, this was hardly an original notion and it was difficult to find a book that didn't take a critical view of the aristocracy. And it should be taken into consideration that, after a career built on mocking the upper classes, Mr. Cannadine's last TWO books have both been fawning histories talking about how the entire British Empire was built on the bravery, daring, and intelligence of the aristocrats. I guess he decided the tide had turned and it was time to jump on another bandwaggon?
Mean-spirited fluff.......1999-05-04
This book claims to be about the decline of the aristocracy, but is really a mean-spirited look at the misfortunes of several aristocratic dynasties and persons. The author gleefully rips apart Winston Churchill, Lord Curzon, Vita Sackville-West and others, while adding no new insight into their characters. Lord Curzon was obsessed with ceremony? Now there's a startling relevation.
There is very little substance to this book and no conclusions are reached, or even suggested.
Enjoyable.......1999-04-26
Paints a vivid and broad picture of the British aristocracy which has declined precipitously in fortune, political power and status since about 1870. Mr. Cannandine's chooses not to explain the causes of the decline, however, with any percision. The various political reform acts, the rise of a rootless proletariate, the democratization of education, the agricultural decline starting about 1870, the decimation of young aristocrats in the trenches of World War One, the loss of confidence in the right to rule-these are either only briefly mentioned by Mr. Cannandine or not mentioned by Mr. Cannandine. He chose not to over-analyze. My chief criticism of the book is that in conclusion, Mr. Cannandine seems overjoyed with the declining relevance of his subject. That is a pity. The British aristocracy has done well by Britain. It is sad that Mr. Cannandine has a soulmate in Tony Blair, who is set to destroy the House of Lords this year.
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- Battling the Anecdote
- Science Apartheid
- A story of science and obstinance
- Two Million
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Limeys: The Story of One Man's War Against Ignorance, the Establishment and the Deadly Scurvy
HarviefDavidI
Manufacturer: Sutton Publishing
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Scurvy: How a Surgeon, a Mariner, and a Gentlemen Solved the Greatest Medical Mystery of the Age of Sail
ASIN: 0750927720 |
Book Description
This is the dramatic story of the extraordinary heroic fight by one man to cure scurvy, man's first occupational disease that killed over two million men in three centuries.
Customer Reviews:
Battling the Anecdote.......2004-01-22
The blurb is that Dr. James Lind discovered the cure and prevention of scurvy in 1747 by conducting the first controlled clinical trial in the annals of medicine. In spite of his heroic efforts, It took about 50 years for this to finally sink into the medical bureaucracy of the British navy, when the scourge was finally vanquished.
Well, the truth is a little more complex than that, and contains some pertinent lessons for our own time. The trial involved only 12 men divided into 6 groups, two of whom got two oranges and a lemon while the others got various other remedies of current interest, including dilute sulfuric acid. The fruit receivers got better, and the others did not. This was the only real trial during the several centuries of extended sea voyages, and was not enough evidence to overcome the objections of amateur observers, anecdotal reports, quacks with their own pixie dust to sell, and the opinions of the committees of the connected. Truth be told, the modest Scot did not really push the method for study hard enough, and complicated his message with speculation and caveats. He was unable to harness the commercial motives of the right people to finally triumph in his own lifetime. Even as late as our own Civil War, and in the concentration camps of the Boer War, tens of thousands continued to perish of scurvy.
Interestingly, one of the reasons for the failure, traced by the author, is the confusion of the terminology of the day, when "lemon" and "lime" were terms used inconsistently and interchangeably, while their anti-scorbutic powers differed significantly. One can easily sneer at the ignorance of the those times, but be startled to realize that the same sort of problem exists today in the multi-billion dollar controversy over asbestos, in which two sorts of minerals, comprising six distinct minerals with distinct chemical structures are all lumped together under the same term: asbestos. Journalists and dwellers in the bowels of the EPA and OSHA are as indifferent to the distinction and the evidence for a great difference in the dangers inherent in each of them, as any committee of the Admiralty of Lind's day.
As far as the inadequacy of Lind's clinical trial, these problems of methodology have hardly gone away. Spend a few hours researching the clinical data on the important problem of second hand cigarette smoke, and tremble before the power of the mass media and the disregard of the uplifters for real scientific data.
Harvey has chronicled the complexities of the discovery well, and his tale serves as a cautionary lesson for those interested in how the truth may finally come to prevail, even in our own time of a plethora of shoddy science, bureaucratic safety committees, and dishonest journalism.
Science Apartheid.......2003-04-01
Despite my interests in history as it relates to science (and more specifically to medicine), I found this work to be sorely tedious. Nonetheless, it would have been redeemable had there been useful organization, instead wondering almost aimlessly among events not much better arranged than a high school term paper. The frequency of repetition also taxed my patience heavily. The irony of the epilogue leaving potential credibility for Linus Pauling's work with high-dose vitamin C in same way he criticized other charlatans' benefactors shouldn't be lost on the reader, but it's more likely the difficult delivery will discourage any reader from getting that far who isn't already heavily invested in evidence-based science. This certainly won't be the work that invites the lay public to be interested in science.
A story of science and obstinance.......2003-03-23
David Harvie has written a fascinating book on the history of the dreaded disease scurvy. Only two mammals are vulnerable to scurvy, humans and guinea pigs, because these two creatures cannot produce their own Vitamin C or ascorbic acid. Throughout history, millions of people, especially sailors and soldiers, died horrible deaths by scurvy.
Dr. James Lind, who in 1747 conducted what is considered the worldýs first clinical trial, established that oranges and lemons cure scurvy. Yet, because of the lack of understanding by people and Lind's inability to push and publicize his discovery enough, sailors, particularly those in the Royal Navy making extended ocean trips, continued to die by the thousands until the early-1790's, when the Admiralty decreed that lemons and their juice be issued to every ship. By 1795, scurvy in the Royal Navy was eliminated, except in cases where supplies of lemon juice ran out.
The most amazing part of the story still lay ahead, because scurvy returned in force during the 1800's, and quack cures were still in use until the 1900's! I leave it up to you to read the book to learn why this happened.
The book even mentions Dr. Linus Pauling's work with Vitamin C in the late 1900's.
All in all, an excellent read. I would give it 4.5 stars if that were possible, because the writing slows down a little in spots. All writers of science history should study the excellent writing of Dava Sobel, the author of Longitude, the superb history of John Harrison and his clocks.
Two Million.......2002-08-22
That is the estimated number of men aboard ship that died during the 300 years proceeding the year 1800. Three hundred years is a long time, but the rate of death is comparable to the rate The United States lost soldiers each year during the Vietnam War. The deaths of 6,600+ men per year for three centuries are a staggering number. David I. Harvie explores the history of the preventable disease that killed so many in his book, "Limeys", a work that will probably be enjoyed by a great many people. The book is part history, part politics, part science, and a great deal of preventable tragedy.
The sickness known as scurvy was responsible for up to 75 percent of deaths on lengthy sea voyages. More sailors died from disease than in combat with an enemy, weather, or bad navigation. As early as 1747 Dr. James Lind conducted testing that anticipated methodologies hundreds of years ahead of their time that demonstrated steps to overcoming the problem, even though the actual Vitamin C that was the key was not identified until 1932. It was in this year that the hexuronic acid and Vitamin C were identified as one and the same, and this critical element was finally renamed ascorbic acid.
The human body is fantastically complex. Unfortunately this same amazing machine does not produce Vitamin C unlike many other animals. This inability has been responsible for millions of deaths, and remains a killer to the present day. Large population transfers in the form of refugees generally suffer horrendous numbers of dead. Lack of Vitamin C is not the sole cause, but it remains as deadly as it has ever been, while at the same time remaining so easy to prevent.
I think most people have heard of scurvy and also have a variety of ideas about who was responsible for finding the key to a cure. What may be less familiar are the centuries that it took to adopt the cure once it was known, and the intentional choices repeatedly made to not provide the food to protect the men who manned these ships. This book is filled with charlatans who peddled worthless cures, which were at times even deadly, and made a fortune selling them. They were able to do so as those in the military and government often stood to gain from quack products, as opposed to providing fruit that would ensure the safety of their men. This history is easily among the worst examples of those in positions of power placing next to no value on human life.
This is a fascinating story, well thought out and shared, and should be of interest to anyone who is inquisitive.
Book Description
Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World examines the many facets of America’s most extraordinary founding father. Politician, diplomat, scientist, printer, and civic improver, Franklin influenced every aspect of American life, from his own time to the present. This book, designed to accompany the traveling Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary exhibition celebrating Franklin’s 300th birthday, includes essays by ten prominent scholars that offer an overview of Franklin’s life and cover the full range of his interests and achievements, illustrated by more than 265 color images—portraits, manuscripts, drawings, maps, paintings, engravings, and a plethora of Franklin's possessions, from teacups to printing equipment. This comprehensive guide, combining new scholarship with unique images—many of which have never been exhibited before—will be a must-have for anyone interested in Franklin.
Customer Reviews:
Worth it.......2007-04-11
The Ben Franklin Exhibit is at our Museum at the moment and this is its companion book. It is a book with various authors/experts presenting their expertise on Ben through various stages in his life. I found it accurate and interesting as well as an "easy read" - without being simplistic. If you are interested in Ben Franklin and don't want to read a long biography, this is a worth while purchase. For those who know more about Ben, it has good biography as well as photos of artifacts associated with his life.
The artifacts in the exhibit (presented in the book) have been gathered from many sources and probably will never be collected together again - so it is a historical reference as well.
A revealing look at the man.......2006-01-06
I'm always amazed at how revisionist historians, like children who can't wait to tattle, manage to expose the foibles of our founding fathers. One by one, each has had his name or reputation besmirched. A few, John Adams, and George Washington seem to survive the exposure and remain adored by millions. Benjamin Franklin is another founding father who has weathered modern day examination and is still beloved by his countrymen.
Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World will not disappoint the reader and it will not take a cheap shot at a man who lived more than 200 years ago. Organized with chapters like The Life of Benjamin Franklin; Benjamin Franklin, Printer; Benjamin Franklin, Civic Improver; Benjamin Franklin, Pragmatic Visionary: Politician, Diplomat, Statesman, etc, the book will shed new light on to a life that was well lived and well enjoyed.
Well reseached with lavish illustrations and photographs, Benjamin Franklin will be a terrific addition to your personal library.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Saturday Evening Post, published by Thomson Gale on January 1, 2006. The length of the article is 1079 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: Benjamin Franklin turns 300: a new coffee-table book explains why we still celebrate the life of the oldest, and most modern, of America's founding fathers three centuries after his birth.(Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World )(Book Review)
Author: Ted Kreiter
Publication:
Saturday Evening Post (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 278
Issue: 1
Page: 60(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
There are over 600, 000 different websites on the Civil War. The Civil War on the Web gives history enthusiasts everything they need to narrow down the search to only the best, most useful sites. The authors have examined and evaluated thousands o
Customer Reviews:
Scratched the surface.......2000-12-12
Very well done. Logically laid out and easy to use. CD-ROM attachment is very helpful.
I found myself skipping the profiles and going straight to the sites and am disappointed that the number of sites are limited . . . of course they are only profiling the best. It does cover a very broad number of topics.
A good effort but they barely scratched the surface. I had a better time working the link lists at major sites.
What Many Of Us Have Been Looking For.......2000-11-29
Anyone who has lost themselves in the web searching for Civil War information know that the amount, quantity, and accessibility of material can, and does, fascinate and frustrate. Sites that looked promising turn into dead ends, information presented can be of dubious quality and, most of all, the sheer volume of material can consume many tedious hours. The Civil War on the Web highlights the best sites, and will save this researcher much valuable time. Civil War enthusiasts will also enjoy the authors' essays and summaries for the insight they provide on the state of scholarship today. A must for anyone curious about the war who has access to the internet!
My favorite gift.......2000-11-25
My wife got me this book for my birthday. I'm a big Civil War buff and even I found sites in this book that I never would have found otherwise. I found so much to read on the Civil War on the web through this book its like getting a 100 books (for the price of one). Plus, there is a CD that makes linking to the sites even easier. If you know someone who likes the Civil War, this is the book for them.
Civil War Researcher's Dream.......2000-11-14
An excellent book to purchase whether you are an advanced Civil War researcher or a novice. I found that the book's reviews are on the mark in ranking websites that present solid information clearly, and are relatively easy to navigate as well.
Using Civil War on the Web, I discovered exceptional websites that I would have overlooked otherwise, sifting through hundreds upon hundreds of hits. I very highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know where the best information is without spending hours on the search alone.
Book Description
In this timely book, Cass R. Sunstein shows that organizations and nations are far more likely to prosper if they welcome dissent and promote openness. Attacking "political correctness" in all forms, Sunstein demonstrates that corporations, legislatures, even presidents are likely to blunder if they do not cultivate a culture of candor and disclosure. He shows that unjustified extremism, including violence and terrorism, often results from failure to tolerate dissenting views. The tragedy is that blunders and cruelties could be avoided if people spoke out.
Sunstein casts new light on freedom of speech, showing that a free society not only forbids censorship but also provides public spaces for dissenters to expose widely held myths and pervasive injustices. He provides evidence about the effects of conformity and dissent on the federal courts. The evidence shows not only that Republican appointees vote differently from Democratic appointees but also that both Republican and Democratic judges are likely to go to extremes if unchecked by opposing views. Understanding the need for dissent illuminates countless social debates, including those over affirmative action in higher education, because diversity is indispensable to learning.
Dissenters are often portrayed as selfish and disloyal, but Sunstein shows that those who reject pressures imposed by others perform valuable social functions, often at their own expense. This is true for dissenters in boardrooms, churches, unions, and academia. It is true for dissenters in the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court. And it is true during times of war and peace.
Customer Reviews:
The Value of this Book is that it Shows Both the Value and Cost of Dissent.......2007-04-02
If all we needed was dissent, then we could dissent all day! The problem is that we need something: 1) the right answer, and 2) with a limited amount of information to make the decision we want it 3) quickly and cheaply. Without knowing that the author begins with that background, the title of the book might lead a potential reader into judging that the author was a Bob Dylan wannabe.
The author makes a number of useful observations while dealing with the manifest observation of the most casual observer that the dissenter never profits from his dissent. In other words, dissent is costly from several points of view, so the question is: When is it worth it--if ever?
Essential Contribution to Democratic Dialog.......2007-01-31
It took me a couple of years to get to this book, but I am glad I did. Interestingly, it is dedicated to Judge Richard Posner, who has become quite a celebrity in writing and talking, from a legal point of view, about secret intelligence, in addition to his many other works.
The author's position is not completely new (see for instance Elizabeth Janeway's 1987 classic, "IMPROPER BEHAVIOR: When and How Misconduct Can be Healthy for Society", and the more standard but still seminal "The Social Construction of Reality."
The author rises beyond the law to embrace sociology, psychology, and philosophy, and in that vein, reminds me of Norman Dixon's classic work, "The Psychology of Military Incompetence."
The core of the book addresses what the author names the two influences (most people get most of their information second-hand; and the general desire for good opinion of oneself) and the three phenomena (conformity, social cascades, and group polarization).
He notes that pluralistic ignorance is dangerous; that groups and systems work better when there are incentives for sharing information openly; and that "free speech" requires BOTH legal protection AND cultural acceptance.
He discusses the superiority of the more adaptive and open democratic decision making to that of totalitarian societies, but his description of their pathologies, ideas hatched in secret and for which no opposition will be accepted, sound starkly like Dick Cheney's Standard Operating Procedure--facsist control, lies to the public with impunity, and no tolerance for flag officers, including flag officers like Tony Zinni and General Shinseki, who have the courage to say that invading Iraq is not only nuts, it will be a disaster. For deep insights into Cheney's impeachable suprression of dissent, see "One Percent Doctrine,' "VICE: Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency," and "Crossing the Rubicon"--and of course the various books on impeachment (see my list).
The author concludes with a special focus on the role of Judges and Senators as dissenting voices, and I am reminded of Senator Robert Byrd's courageous and erudite opposition to the illegal war on Iraq, with his speeches available to all in book form as "Losing America: Confronting a Reckless and Arrogant Presidency").
The author concludes with a very disappointing section on education and affirmative action, and in this section, spoils an otherwise superb book by focusing on the banalities of affirmative action. Like George Bush and Hillary Clinton, he is toying with the cosmetics and avoiding the deep--the really deep--need for a complete recasting of education to fully integrate distance and self-paced online learning, multi-cultural learning, deep historical and cross-cultural understanding; a draconian Manhattan Project to improve desktop analytic tools and the need for an Information Economy Meta Language (IEML) such as Pierre Levy is creating (see his "Collective Intelligence"), as well as life-long learning, the localization of everything, and so on. I beg to emphasize this: it is the agricultural era school schedule (summer off) and the industrial era rote learning rigid structured program, that is killing the creativity of our kids while locking them up in a program that is nothing more than advanced child care with a semblance of prison population, the "club med" aspects for cheerleaders and jocks not-with-standing. Our HIGHEST national priority should be to churn education so that our kids are liberally and broadly educated and armed with all of the tools for thinking that the Central Intelligence Agency still does not have today because it too is a vestige of the Soviet era of gray desks and dumb telephones.
Thomas Jefferson had it right: "A Nation's best defense is an educated citizenry." Cass Sunstein is arguably, with Lawrence Lessig, one of the greatest lawyers of our generation, but in the final section, he plops quietly.
Never-the-less, a five star book.
Important Work.......2005-05-07
This book gathers together and puts a philosophical/political thoery frame on a range of findings in social science about conformity, information gathering, groupthink, fanaticism, and dissent. The lesson is that a free society needs to encourage, and maybe reward, dissent. If you're familiar with other books the author has published recently (Republic.com, Designing Democracy), the philosophical story and institutional proposals will be familiar. But the survey of the social scientific findings is worth the price of the book.
Must-read for anyone who works in groups.......2004-07-02
I really enjoyed this book. It was very readable and well written. I appreciated how the viewpoints and examples used were neutral and usable regardless of the reader's perspective on any issue.
Some of the more interesting points were: (1) an explanation of the pressure to conform, and why this pressure is surprisingly high even among those who consider themselves independent thinkers (2) the power of being first to speak in a group and the efficacy of a firm and confident tone (3) the two types of dissenters: contrarians and disclosers; and the importance of disclosing one's opinion and reasoning (4) discussion of "groupthink" and how group opinions form based on the group's members.
I appreciated Sunstein's frequent reference to psychological studies. That made this book much more credible and useful than one where an author merely formulates theories and writes about them.
Important and timely.......2004-06-14
A breathtaking piece of scholarship, Sunstein's book is readable, riveting and convincing. The arguments are sober and well-reasoned, providing ample citation and the address of multiple hypotheses at each stage of each argument. What emerges in the end is a powerful and compelling case for dissent not as something to be merely tolerated but as an essential high value, vital to the success of organizations and nations. At a time when this value goes largely unrecognized, Sunstein's contribution is inestimable. Never in my life have I bought multiple copies of a book to help spread a message --- until now.
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- The Eastern Dada Orbit: Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Central Europe and Japan (Crisis and the Arts)
- The Euston Road School: A Study in Objective Painting
- The iconography of late Minoan and Mycenaean sealstones and finger rings
- The Life of a Style: Beginnings and Endings in the Narrative History of Art
- The Paradoxes of Art: A Phenomenological Investigation
Books Index
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