Book Description
The book explains how to identify and use guilt feelings productively to become a better parent and working mother. By controlling emotions, understanding how your upbringing affects parenting and how to balance work with parenting, the 55 million working mothers in this country can learn to use their guilt productively.
Customer Reviews:
MOM S-- GET A LIFE !!!!!!!!.......2003-07-20
Perfect book for all moms whether they work outside of the house or not. I give this book as a gift at baby showers and when my pals go back to work after being at home with their kids. Perfect for moms AND dads. You need to have a life-- you're family will benefit and Dr. Savikas, a psychologist and arbitrator knows how you can create one. Fun cartoons and stories and tips are perfect for understanding how you can go back to work and use guilt to your advantage. Belongs on every bookshelf in every office worldwide. A great communicator, Savikas knows what she writes. Don't miss this book!
PERFECT GIFT FOR ANY MOM!!.......2003-07-20
Know of a new mom-- this is the perfect gift. It's the one I give that will keep giving on and on. Subtitled What Working Moms Need to Know -- it's a great book not just for the mother who works outside of the house but for any mom who wants to have a life that's not just about her kids 24/7. Sure you love them and they are always part of your life, but so is your husband, your friends, your other family and of course you. This book 99 golden pages of information, stories and tips with some fun cartoons mixed in to keep it light reading with important bottom line results. A psychologist and arbitrator, Savikas knows how to communicate to anyone --working mom or not. The title makes sense once you understand how to 'use' the guilt and not let it 'abuse you'. Juggling all aspects of our lives is a continual challenge, finding balance, the ultimate quest. Author Dr. Savikas makes it easier. As I mentioned -- the perfect gift for a baby shower or on the birth of a child. Invaluable for every office library shelf. Buy a dozen and give them to your workers -- man or woman. Working dads need to understand moms and kids in the way that Dr. Savikas can share with them.
L.A. Parent Magazine says, "Guilt Can Be Good".......1998-12-10
"Mommy, do you have to go to work?" This question from a four-year old to his mother, a successful executive, was the impetus for "Guilt Is Good: What Working Moms Need To Know...The executive was a patient -- and the first working mom she helped get over a guilt trip. Savikas doesn't suggest you try to deny your guilt. Instead, she says, put it to good use. "We view our guilt as a negative emotion, but guilt presents us with an opportunity to change." The first step toward change, says Savikas, is becoming aware of the messages you grew up with about a mother's role. "We've developed a set of myths about the perfect mom, such as, 'She always has time for her kids.'""Take a look at the expectations that lead to your guilt. Are they realistic? Are they based on someone else's values or your own?" Try to avoid guilt that "scolds," says Savikas. This unforgiving voice only makes you feel bad about yourself. It might say, "What kind of mother would snap at her kid?" Guilt that "coaches" on the other hand, "points out that something needs to be fixed." It might say,"I thought you were going to rest." To stop the guilt that scolds, Savikas suggests balancing negative thoughts with positive ones. Instead of chastising yourself for yelling at your kids, you might say, "Next time, this is what I'm planning to do better." Savikas doesn't enter into the debate about whether mothers should work outside the home. But she does encourage women to explore career options without worrying they'll harm the kids. "It's normal to want time away from your children, and it's good to have time to yourself," she says. "If you're feeling bad about yourself, you project that negative energy onto your kids."
Book Description
From The New York Times bestselling author Stephen Ambrose comes a timeless audio collection.
D-DAY
Read by the author
Stephen Ambrose draws from more than 1,400 interviews with American, British, Canadian, French, and German veterans to create the preeminent chronicle of the most important day in the twentieth century. Ambrose reveals how the original plans for the invasion were abandoned, and how ordinary soldiers and officers acted on their own initiative.
CITIZEN SOLDIER
Read by Cotter Smith
Continuing where he left off in his #1 bestseller D-Day, Stephen Ambrose follows the individual characters of this noble, brutal, and tragic war, from the high command down to the ordinary soldier, drawing on hundreds of interviews to re-create the war experience with startling clarity and immediacy.
BAND OF BROTHERS
Read by Cotter Smith
Band of Brothers is the account of the men of Easy Company, 506th Airborne Division, U.S. Army who fought, went hungry, froze, and died. A company that took 150 percent casualties and considered the Purple Heart a badge of office. Drawing on hours of interviews with survivors as well as the soldiers' journals and letters, Stephen Ambrose tells the stories of these American heroes.
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Sailing for the Sun: The Chinese in Hawaii, 1789-1989
Manufacturer: University of Hawaii Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0824813138 |
Book Description
Prestige des Grands Chefs Dessert is the grand finale of a great meal. To make a memorable lasting impression, the dessert must excite all the senses: above all it must taste delicious but it should also have texture, a lovely aroma and be beautiful to look at. A «designer dessert», which each individual serving arranged with care and purpose on an attractive plate and cleverly decorated, is a stunning way to finish a dining experience. Talented pastry chef and teacher, Philippe Durand has developed many new ideas and methods for presenting «plated desserts». He has analyzed all the components necessary for creating dazzling presentations of individual desserts arranged artistically on a plate. These innovative dishes will inspire restaurant chefs and caterers as well as home cooks who love to entertain. This book is presented in three sections. The first section illustrates the principles of style, technique and decoration necessary for the successful presentation of an individual dessert. The main part consists of dessert «formulas», grouped according to the main ingredient, along with photographs to help achieve the same stunning results. The basic recipes and techniques for making the desserts in the main section are given at the end. Restaurant chefs will find desserts to make ahead in quantity that are easily assembled to order. There are innovative ideas for combining colorful and flavorful ingredients that will inspire pastry shop owners and caterers. And for the talented home cook who wants to serve a dazzling, decorated dessert to guests, this book offers many delicious possibilities.
Average customer rating:
- Terrific even with a modification or two
- Still cooking with integrity in Baltimore.....
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The Great Chefs of Baltimore
Barbara Tasch Ezratty; editor
Manufacturer: Omni Arts Publishing Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0942929233
Release Date: 2006-11-20 |
Product Description
The great chefs of Baltimore cook everything from this harborside city's seafood favorites (crab cakes on are everybody's menu!) to local favorites (fried green tomatoes) and all the ethnic favorites (we have our own little Italy and Corned Beef Row) that represent the varied flavors of this much-visited city.
Customer Reviews:
Terrific even with a modification or two.......2007-08-19
What a fabulous book! Here's how it went picking a dish at random, oh, let's say "Pan Seared Salmon with Saffron Seafood Sauce," page 179:
Good one to try. I like salmon, the cat likes salmon. Me and the cat will fix this one.
One 8-oz salmon fillet. No problem. Slice off a sliver or two for the cat before we get involved with the cooking part. Now for the "high-heat, nonstick pan, heat until it smokes" part, we don't want to smell up the house too much, so we'll have to modify the recipe already.
Damn.
Get out the George Foreman grill and fire it up. A few more salmon slivers for the cat before getting fancy with the ingredients. We got the canola oil part, so slather up the fillet before dropping on the grill.
Now for the sauce. "Heat olive oil over medium heat; add chopped garlic;" Wup, no fresh garlic.
Damn.
Well, a pinch of garlic powder will have to sub here, no problem. Continuing, "Add the white wine and reduce by half." We'll just guess at the quantity of wine by pouring an engineer's approximation into the hot pan. Wup, it's a red cabernet.
Damn, obscure bottle coloring.
No matter, the red wine will stand up to the salmon nicely anyway. "Add the sun-dried tomatoes, seafood broth, saffron, and lemon zest." Wup. None of these four are within four miles of the pantry or fridge.
Damn, damn, damn, damn.
Never panic, always picnic (quote: Winston Churchill, or maybe Benjamin Disraeli, or one of those British guys). Canned stewed tomatoes from Aldi's are an excellent swap here (no kidding), just drain & dry carefully. Without a handy seafood broth, a chicken bouillon cube in ¾ cup boiling water will do nicely. Saffron? We'll just have to punt on that one. But now for the stroke of amateur genius; with no lemon to zest, and with the last ingredient being a pinch of pepper, we simply sub in some lemon pepper! From here on, just follow the recipe, and you come out with a fabulous faux-sauce. Clearly nowhere near the quality of the original recipe, but still good.
Damn good.
As for the sweet potato hay, that would have been excellent, except with salt potato leftovers, and a fridge full of romaine, me & the cat had to have a different menu. Except the cat only had the salmon part, no sauce. In fact, here's the cat's version of the recipe:
Salmon fillets
Slice and serve
Very clearly, this book is the one to buy. Also very clearly, by any unbiased opinion, this Chef Ted Stelzenmuller's two dishes are tops. Great job, Son!
Still cooking with integrity in Baltimore............2007-01-19
One of the best additions to cookbook's this year! "Great Chef's of Baltimore" is the book to own if you live in Baltimore and for all of those who don't live in this wonderful city it is just another reason to love it! This book is put together beautifully with excellent photo's of recipe's and easy to follow directions for home use. And make sure you check out the delicious Grilled Lettuces recipe from "The Chameleon Cafe". It's good stuff people.
Average customer rating:
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Designer Preserves
Patricia Lousada
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall Europe (a Pearson Education company)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
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ASIN: 085941597X |
Average customer rating:
- The controversies over genetically altered foods continue
- Just what I needed
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Designer Food: Mutant Harvest or Breadbasket for the World?
Gregory E Pence
Manufacturer: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0742508390 |
Book Description
The phrase genetically modified food conjures images of apples with eyeballs and tomatoes with toes. But the true story behind this technology is much more complex that anyone may realize. Join Pence's investigation of this latest public issue and take a front-row seat at what will surely become the hottest debate since human cloning.
Customer Reviews:
The controversies over genetically altered foods continue.......2002-06-06
The controversies over genetically altered foods continue and this addresses many questions regarding the ethics of such food; from a history of altered food's rise around the world to related issues of world hunger, food sabotage, and political and health debates. A well-rounded survey of a host of issues relating to food safety.
Just what I needed.......2002-02-06
Up here in farm country, food is a big issue,so the ethics of GM Food hits home here.This book made my college term paper for me and got me an A. Has 4 different worldviews, but you know where Pence stands.
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Food (Discovering Art)
Christopher McHugh
Manufacturer: Hodder Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0750213388 |
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Food (How Artists See)
Karen Hosack
Manufacturer: Heinemann Library
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ASIN: 0431932212 |
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Food in Art (Looking at Art)
Rosemary Moore
Manufacturer: Hodder Wayland
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ASIN: 0750214392 |
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Functional Foods: Designer Foods, Pharmafoods, Nutraceuticals
I. Goldberg
Manufacturer: Aspen Publishers
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Handbook of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods
ASIN: 0834216884 |
Book Description
On the Road with Francis of Assisi offers a unique and lively travelogue of parallel journeys: that of Francis of Assisi on his way to sainthood in the thirteenth century, and that of author Linda Bird Francke, who followed his path through the beauty of central and coastal Italy–and even on to Egypt.
Francke tells the compelling story of Saint Francis through the many places he visited. She and her husband, Harvey Loomis, used as their guidebooks medieval texts, including the first official biography of the saint, completed in 1229, just three years after he died. Theirs was not a spiritual journey but one based on admiration for a man whose legend continues to inspire and fascinate millions around the world.
From Assisi–a small Umbrian town that now draws two million visitors a year, making it second only to Rome as an Italian pilgrimage destination–Saint Francis crisscrossed Italy for twenty years. And so too does the author travel through the “green heart” of Italy to such hill towns and cities as Siena, Bologna, Venice, Gubbio, and Rome, and to the many mountaintop Franciscan sanctuaries from La Verna and Le Celle di Cortona in Tuscany to the Rieti Valley.
Along the way, Francke movingly depicts the many miracles Francis performed and draws us into the splendid beauty of the landscape that inspired the saint’s love for nature and regard for all living things. Unlike Francis, however, whose asceticism caused him to add ashes to his food to deaden its earthly pleasure, Francke and her husband indulge in the fabled Umbrian cuisine, from wild boar to the region’s famed black truffles, and the incomparable local wines.
On the Road with Francis of Assisi embraces the spirit and person of its legendary subject, and invites the reader to marvel at his spiritual intensity and follow in his footsteps through the timeless beauty of Italy.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
You feel like you are with Francis and Clare.......2007-02-25
This is an amazing book that takes you on a journey with Francis of Assisi and Clare. Unlike dry preachy spiritual books, spiritual books with a not so hidden agenda or dry historical discussions that you have to force yourself to finish reading, this book seems to have just the right balance between travelogue packed with action and spirituality that makes it a page turner. I actually reread some of the chapters and they were just as good the second time. The author is a skilled observer and has put in just enough history to fascinate rather than bore the reader. She refrains from telling you what to think or how to feel. At the same time she shares her emotions at certain points, but it is so honestly conveyed and well done that you just feel it is part of the journey. As a result, you actually go on the journey yourself as she leads you and you are allowed to draw your own conclusions. Also, the inclusion of both Francis and Clare work very well in telling the story so you are able to appreciate the profound impact that they have on one another. Their story unfolds in a very powerful way in this travel format. This book just works!
Parts that you will recognize that are so well told:
Francis denouncing his father
Clare fleeing her family for the spiritual life
Francis adventures in Rome with the Pope
Francis and the wolf, and so much more.
I highly recommend this book for anyone on a spiritual journey and especially to St. Francis and St. Clare fans.
On the Road with Francis of Assisi.......2007-01-31
A fascinating look into the life and wanderings of an interesting character in some of my personal favorite parts of Italy. Specialized reading for specialized interests. I have recently commissioned a painting representing one aspect of the life of Francis of Assisi, and this book added greatly to my own and the artist's understanding of the man.
Fantastic Journey with St. Francis!!!.......2007-01-27
Linda Bird Francke's book is a must! I am always looking for more stories on this saint as I am an avid St. Francis of Assisi fan. He captured my heart on my first visit to Assisi in 1999 with my talented artist/sculptor husband Mic Carlson. Mic had an exhibition of his bronze collection on the life of St. Francis at the Basilica of St. Francis in 2004. He was the first American artist to be invited. During our month long stay we became followers of St. Francis. What a marvelously wonderful honor and experience! Mic is now working on a St. Francis prayer and meditation sculpture garden depicting the life of this saint, as well as life size peace statues of St. Francis in Assisi and Grand Rapids. Walking in the footsteps of St. Francis brought his spirit right beside us. You can feel his presence in so many places. Since then I have written a children's book about this beloved saint.
Tommy's New Shell exhibits the kindness Francis had for all creation. Mic and I are always searching for more history on St. Francis and Linda's book with all my highlighted pages will be tucked in my back pack on our next venture there in this fall. Linda went over and beyond the stories of Francis and even the places to visit. I felt every emotion she portrayed and cannot wait to experience new places she took me to. If you ever plan to visit the Umbrian or Tuscan areas in Italy, please read this book. You will not regret it. Not only does she tell the true story about this sweet vagabond and his followers, but she gives you the history of places and events that are confirmed in the many ancient frescoes all over Umbria and Tuscany. Linda will also take you to the hard to find caves and mountain top ledges where Francis spent his time with God. She also gives you the true feeling of living among the Italian residents in out of the way little villages. The cozy coffee shops, restaurants and inns with the locals are so vivid in my mind...these are the places where you really get the ambiance of true Italians. You can envision Francis as he walked along these same streets and offered his sweet spiritual messages to the people and even to the birds in the fields on his life long voyage. Linda didn't miss a beat in her journey of St. Francis, his followers and his Sister St. Clare. My next wish is that this book be made into a movie! I could not put this book down from the 1st page to the last! Thank you Linda Bird Francke! God Bless You!
Susan Evangelista
Author
Grand Rapids, Michigan
A creative and fascinating account.......2005-12-25
What a fabulous idea that Linda Francke had - combining an account of the life of the greatest Saint with a story of her own spiritual journey with a travel guide. A teacher in high school (a Jesuit) once told me that we don't all have to live like St. Francis, but we should all be willing to invite him into our busy live occasionally and allow him to ask us some tough questions. This book is a pleasant and thought-provoking way to do just that.
Book Description
Stephen Skowronek's wholly innovative study demonstrates that presidents are persistent agents of change, continually disrupting and transforming the political landscape. In an afterword to this new edition, the author examines "third way" leadership as it has been practiced by Bill Clinton and others. These leaders are neither great repudiators nor orthodox innovators. They challenge received political categories, mix seemingly antithetical doctrines, and often take their opponents' issues as their own. As the 1996 election confirmed, third way leadership has great electoral appeal. The question is whether Clinton in his second term will escape the convulsive end so often associated with the type.
Customer Reviews:
The individual president in the politics of his time........2007-08-26
Stephen Skowronek wants to change how we judge the success of our Presidents. His major contribution to that understanding is to turn our attention away from the individual holding the office. Instead he wants us to focus on a combination of political, social and institutional factors. Perhaps the best way to introduce his theory is to start off with his observation that in general, "power has been less of a problem for presidents than authority" (p.17). In other words, it is easier to get things done then to sustain the justification of the action taken. In fact, Skowronek (hereafter called S.) feels that it in the ability of a president to "control the political definition of their actions" that will determine "the terms in which their places in history are understood" (ibid.)
Furthermore, S. sees that the power and authority have changed over the span of American history according to different arcs of development. S. sees the power of the presidency as being in the resources available to the office at any one moment and distinguishes that history of change (toward more resources and toward more independent use of those resources) as occuring in secular time. Authority refers to the way a president is expected by his contemporaries to use the resources of his office. The historical arc of change of authority structures, S. sees as taking place in political time (p.30).
The final key to understanding S.'s theory is his insistance on the inherently disruptive and creative nature of the office of the presidency. This is something that he insists on time and time again throughout the book (the first instance is on p.xii). Every president imposes themselves on the office in such a way as to change (disrupt) the current political order. How they frame doing so greatly determines the extent to which their authority to do so is challenged.
Here is where it gets interesting. Some presidents have been elected with a clear warrant for radical change in the political order. Some are elected to continue down an established path. S. imposes order on all this with a simple two by two box on p. 36. A president arrives in office either affliated with or opposed to the current regime. That regime is either vulnerable or resiliant. A president who arrives opposed to a current regime that is vulnerable has a chance to practice what S. calls the politics of reconstruction. S. examines as examples the presidencies of Jefferson, Jackson, Lincoln, F.D.R., and Reagan. This is the politics of greatness. If they arrive opposed to a current regime that is resiliant, the president is mired in the politics of preemption. S. sees as examples of this situation to be the presidencies of John Tyler, Andrew Johnson, (maybe) Grover Cleveland, (maybe) Woodrow Wilson, Richard Nixon and (somewhat) Bill Clinton. If a president arrives affiliated with a resiliant regime, he is an examplar of the politics of articulation. S discusses as examples of this James Monroe, James Polk, Teddy Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson. Finally, if the president is affiliated with a vulnerable regime, he will be an example of the politics of disjunction. S.'s examples are John Quincy Adams, Franklin Pierce, Herbert Hoover and Jimmy Carter (pp.17-57).
A couple of points need to be made about this scheme. The different types of politics unfold in a cycle in political time. There is a reconstructive president who usually arrives as the leader of a party realignment and with a mandate to change the corrupt and inept politics of the current regime. Utilizing this warrant for change they are able to make full use of the current powers of the president to change the regime (usually increasing both those powers and the independence of their use). One of their typical rhetorical tropes will be making the claim that they are returning our politics back to its first principles.
The presidents who follow are usually affiliates whose warrant is to continue along the new path. They do so initially as articulators but increasingly as disjunctivists (my own term and an ugly one, I acknowledge). This is due to the disruptive and individual nature of the office. In imposing their own style, ideas and appointees upon reaching office, the affiliates inevitably expose schisms in the party structure and ideology. This type of president will try to run a full-service presidency that pleases all factions of the party but the competition for the resources to do so will begin the unraveling of the coalitions created by the reconstructivists.
Even solid policy success will create problems for the affiliates who are claiming the mantle of the favorite son. Their own implementation of policy to solidify the success of their predecessor begins a debate on the history and the future of that's predecessor's reconstruction.(p.327).
Finally, in the politics of disjunction, the president will tend to resort to the reification of technique. This occurs when the president begins to lose control over the framing of the divisive issues of the day. They then attempt to use a standard of behavior as a justification for their actions. These standards of political behavior were usually introduced by the reconstructive president and have since become "politically vacuous" by the development of events. J. Q. Adams attempted to shore up his appointments by claiming that they were chosen solely on the basis of ability (the standard of patrician politics championed by Jefferson). But the politics of the moment demanded a balancing of political interests that were pressing upon him due above all to the circumstances of his election. Playing the patrician only made him seem duplicitious (see chapter 4, part 3).
Occassionally non-political events (e.g., the assisination of Lincoln) throws into office someone who is opposed to a resiliant regime and we experience the politics of preemption.
There is nothing regular or predetermined about these cycles. My qualifications about what type of president Cleveland and Wilson were shows that S. is sensitive to the difficulties with typing many of the individuals who have held the office. I think his chosen and discussed examples are probably best seen as Weberian ideal types. But I also think that S. feels that his typology can be usefully and clearly imposed on the great majority of our presidents.
Another qualifier on the theory is that the presidency is not the only governmental branch that has developed in secular time. Both Congress and the judiciary became increasingly independent from the presidency and developed increasing resources for expressing that independence.
Just as important, the last century has seen the rise of other institutions that are independent of the three branches (the Federal Reserve Bank) or outside of government all together (large unions, religious organizations, PACs, etc.) These factors along with others make it increasingly difficult to successfully pull off a reconstructive presidency.
S.s organizes his case studies in chronological order. They are in sections that are led off by study of the reconstructive presidents, followed by studies of affiliates and disjunctive presidents. They are very impressive essays that could easily stand alone. Part of what impressed me about them is the amount of archival research that S. has done. I would have expected him to rely on secondary studies and for the most part he has. But he has also read deeply in the writings of the individual presidents. For example, he makes good use of the letters of Franklin Pierce. There is an extraordinary amount of research that went into this book.
There is also a certain amount of hyperbole. I feel that S. sometimes makes his argument through his rhetoric. S. wants to emphasize the powerful nature of the office. So S. tells us that Polk's attempts to manage Jacksonian orthodoxy unleashed "schisms so destabilizing that it would take a civil war to resolve them."(p.162). I am going to suggest that those schisms were unleashed long before Polk did much of anything on the political scene. Polk's actions made things worse at most by accelerating a process already well developed.
Finally, S. feels that the political reality exposed in his theory is breaking down in various ways in the post-modern plebescitary presidency (his terms- don't look at me). I have gone on far too long to even begin to go into why he feels that is. What I hope I have done is to make you want to read the book. This is as important and insightful a scholarly work as I have read in a long time. It has several flaws but scholarly timidity is not one of them. If you are an American politics or history reader, you simply must read this book.
And then write a comment to me explaining how S.'s theory applies to Bush. I am still working on that one.
Good but boring.......2006-12-15
I had to read this for a class in undergrad, it was ok. I only read like 2 chapters because i was out drinking too often. His thesis is unique and kind of makes you think about the way presidents act within the overall American political landscape.
Most important book on the presidency in decades.......2004-06-08
Skowronek has written a magesterial study of the American presidency, fundamentally reinterpreting it through a novel historical framework. His writing style is very dense, and often unclear - but the hard work necessary to understand him is well worth the effort.
I first read this as an undergraduate, then twice again in graduate school. Each reading brought out new insights I missed the previous time.
No student of the presidency can afford not to read this. Quibble with him on some details, perhaps, but overall no one can doubt its lasting importance. An instant classic.
BRILLIANT, but a tad dense.......2002-02-22
This is definitely a difficult book, and understanding certain critical passages may require several readings. In short, this is NOT a good book for an introduction to presidential politics and leadership. For a more readable and still highly regarded account, Neustadt's seminal work is a good choice. However, none of this is to say that Skowronek's book is not brilliant--it is, and reading it carefully is a very profitable experience and will enhance anyone's understanding of the presidency, agree with Professor Skowronek or not. Through all the technical references, Skowronek proposes a paradigm for assessing presidential leadership: Reconstruction, Disjunction, Articulation, and Pre-emption, all of which are based on the nature of the government and its commitments (vulnerable or resilient) and on the president's relationship to that regime (opposed or affiliated). Reconstruction results when presidents are opposed to a vulnerable regime--here are the "great" presidents: Lincoln, FDR, and Reagan, for example. Affiliation with a vulnerable regime produces Disjunction. Articulation results from affiliation with a resilient regime. And Pre-emption is the product of opposition to a resilient regime. Of course, this merely scratches the surface of Skowronek's argument, for which he argues quite well and which he approaches from a fairly historical perspective. I highly recommend this for anyone wishing to gain a deeper, fuller understanding of presidential leadership, especially in considering how much a president's skills affect what type of leader he is and how much circumstances shape his presidency.
Decent.......2000-08-31
I read this as part of a course (taught by the author himself) in my sophomore year of college. Skowronek is I think to be applauded for his historical approach to presidential politics, and for his style of writing: it seems more as if youre reading a story than a political science book. Time and time again, Skowronek comes back to his thesis and main themes (legitimacy and presidents ability to correctly understand and manipulate their historical moment. The book never loses focus as Skrownek discusses different presidents or as he tells stories about a particular president. And hes done his research really really well. In particular his use of presidential quotes is very very impressive. Numerous times he gives examples of Presidents who attempt to build political legitimacy using words that fit very well into Skowronek's conceptual framework ("preserving foundations", recovering old sacred truths, continuing work that has already begun). The problem with Skowronek's book is that I think, given the sort of analysis hes doing here, its not very naunced. Im sure for example, articulation presidents often distanced themselves from their predecesors in some form or another. Some may not have a problem with this: after all S. is trying to prove his point and prove it well. However I thought at times that the book could have been more nauanced. Just my thoughts....OHH BUY THE BOOK!
Book Description
Sometime this century the day will arrive when the human influence on the climate will overwhelm all other natural factors. Over the past decade, the world has seen the most powerful El Niño ever recorded, the most devastating hurricane in two hundred years, the hottest European summer on record, and one of the worst storm seasons ever experienced in Florida. With one out of every five living things on this planet committed to extinction by the levels of greenhouse gases that will accumulate in the next few decades, we are reaching a global climatic tipping point. The Weather Makers is both an urgent warning and a call to arms, outlining the history of climate change, how it will unfold over the next century, and what we can do to prevent a cataclysmic future. Along with a riveting history of climate change, Tim Flannery offers specific suggestions for action for both lawmakers and individuals, from investing in renewable power sources like wind, solar, and geothermal energy, to offering an action plan with steps each and every one of us can take right now to reduce deadly CO2 emissions by as much as 70 percent.
Customer Reviews:
A tale of global warming that gave me chills.......2007-09-20
Tim Flannery's "The Weathermakers" is not only an eloquent plea for the industrialized world to deal with the problem of climate change, but provides the science needed to understand this huge and vital topic. The book is spooky great fun too, with frights and chills enough to get the attention of any thrill seeker. Except that the thrills here come from contemplating near-irreversible global cataclysms that would wipe out humanity or make life darned near intolerable for us.
Flannery is terrific at making difficult science easy to understand, without dumbing it down or condescending to his audience. This was greatly aided by the narrator of the audio book, Drew De Carvalho, whose wide-eyed Aussie delivery was akin to the joy and wonder of that other fine Down-under naturalist, Steve Irwin. Flannery discussed the Earth's tumultuous climactic past, using data obtained from tree rings and ice cores, to paint a picture of a dynamic planet whose climate and biota have varied wildly over its existence. Glaciers advance and retreat. Gargantuan upwellings of methane overwhelm the biosphere. Oceans rise and fall hundreds of feet. Changes in atmospheric gases permit or debar shellfish from secreteing the carboniferous husks that pull CO2 out of the atmosphere. The message: what Earth has done, it can do again.
Flannery does a wonderful job of explaining the large weather phenomena known to most laymen -- carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, changes to the Gulf Stream, warming trends, etc. But he is equally good at describing the lesser-known but important elements that factor into climatic equations. I was not aware that transpiration -- the release of moisture from Amazonian trees -- was a main cause of precipitation in the region. I had never heard of clathrates, huge fields of methane-infused ice that underlie the oceans. And I had never thought of climate change literally chasing certain heat-sensitive species up into alpine regions, until they run out of room and become extinct. Flannery is also wonderful at explaining the feedback loops that, once triggered, can accelerate certain climatic trends. Air conditioning powered by burning coal can increase levels sulfur dioxide in rain, acidifying the oceans, making it harder for shellfish to secrete shells, thus leaving more CO2 in the atmosphere, causing further warming and leading to the need for more AC, and so on.
Climate change to Flannery is not a theoretical possibility, but a certainty whose effects are visible today. He tells of the now-extinct South America Golden Toad, whose habitat was fed by moisture in low-lying clouds, being wiped out when a Pacific ocean hot spot caused mist-giving clouds to form just slightly higher up the mountainside than usual. His tale of the bleaching of the reefs like Great Barrier Reef -- in which huge swaths of coral reefs ejected their symbiotic algae, then bleached and die in a single season -- was frightening and sad. His discussion of the measurable changes in salinity in the Gulf Stream -- changes that could imperil its flow with deleterious effect on climate -- was terrifyingly plausible. Most chilling of all, Flannery's telling of the planet's near-miss with significant ozone depletion (due to industry's fortuitous use of chlorine rather than hyper-reactive bromine in aerosol cans and refrigeration systems) underscored how easy it is for humanity to fatally foul our nest without even realizing we are doing it.
The book is alarming, but not alarmist. It does not seek the cheap thrill of scaring us to sell copies, but to educate and forewarn. Flannery is not afraid to call out the human practices that are warming our planet. Transportation needs (which account for 30% of CO2 emissions), accelerating burning of carbon-rich fossil fuels, and shortsighted self-interest are high on the list of culprits. Flannery points the finger at the big coal-gorging countries in the world -- the US and Australia among them -- for significant criticism. Neither does he spare the industrial giants who use deceit, misinformation and political contributions to steer politicians (and the public) away from limiting profitable, planet-damaging enterprises.
I came away from the book with a new appreciation for the complexity and the fragility of the Gaia -- the living organism that is the Earth. "The Weathermakers" increased my appreciation of the path on which we have put our world. If Flannery's descriptions and predictions are true, our fossil-fuel-burning habits have already committed us to significant extinctions of species and significant discomfort for ourselves. As Flannery states, future generations will curse ours if we see the looming problem and fail to take action to correct it. Flannery is hopeful (else, why write such a book?) about our ability to turn things around. He evaluates technological and political solutions to the problems he poses, which not all will like, for carbon-low solutions include wind, geothermal, solar and (gasp!) nuclear power generation. And Flannery dismisses certain hopeful technologies like hydrogen and biomass. Flannery is also hopeful that past global cooperation -- of the type that limited the production of ozone-killing CFCs -- will be repeated, as human beings band together to save their world.
"The Weather Makers" is a wonderful book that can open your eyes to the complexity of our world, of the difficulties of addressing climate change without wrecking economies, and of our responsibility to pass our planet, reasonably intact, to our children. Its stacks of facts can sometimes numb the mind, but they are the data needed to combat ignorance and deceit one often encounters when trying to persuade our friends and neighbors about the possibility of anthropogenic climate change.
Disappointed.......2007-08-07
I bought the book on the basis it would be an objective and well structured argument explaining how scientists had negated natural influences on climate change - Milankovich cycles, solar activity and plate tectonics - and isolated the anthropogenic influences.
However, I discovered the book is written in a mildly hysterical tone common to environmental activists. If you want to read a scientific account of climate change and how human activity is affecting the climate, read the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report.
Boo Hoo.......2007-07-27
"Well done China for improving the lives of your citizens" This is one of the many quotes that you will NOT find it Tim Flannerys book. Others include "Before the industrial revolution, average life expectancy was about 36 years of age" and finally "You can't make an omlette without breaking a few eggs". However if you want to know how every living thing on the planet would be better off if we disapeared, you are on the right track.
Thought provoking!.......2007-07-25
This book is great reading in conjunction with Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. The author convincingly demonstrates that global warming is real, and that terrible consequences loom ahead if nothing is done about it.
I was very surprised to read how the Australian government bullies its neighboring islands in the Pacific Ocean. Many of the Pacific Islands nations are doomed to sink under water as the ocean level rise, yet they are bullied by the Australian government into inaction. Like individuals, nations are selfish and have no regard for other nations if it does not suit their purposes. This notion angered me. Unless the citizens of the world take action to fight global warming and CO2 emissions, governments, motivated by self-interest, will be very slow to act, if at all.
Many of the themes in the book were already familiar to me, especially after reading An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore. One new concept was about hydrogen power. According to the author, hydrogen power is not the solution to global warming since to produce hydrogen power fossil fuels must be burnt. He proposes the use of electric, solar, nuclear and wind power which are all available and affordable.
The author also laments all the animals that became extinct due to global warming. For example, a frog, newly discovered by science, carries its newborn in its stomach. When ready to give birth, it regurgitates its babies. This is the only known species to do so, yet soon after its discovery, it became extinct due to our environmental carelessness. Many other species of animals, insects, and plants are becoming extinct.
Maybe when we learn to stop killing each other we can finally take care of our environment. Does that mean that our root is evil and that nothing can be done to save our planet?
The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth.......2007-07-24
Concise, easy to read, and right to the point. Everything anyone would want to know about how man is changing the climate and what one could do to alleviate their impact in this process. Each individual is responsible for their own actions and we MUST slow the global warming process or the 21st century will see catastrophic environmental changes. A must read book for information that could save the future of the planet and its inhabitants.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from OnEarth, published by Thomson Gale on March 22, 2006. The length of the article is 942 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: The Weather Makers: How Man is Changing the Climate and What it Means for Life on Earth.(Book review)
Author: George Black
Publication:
OnEarth (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 28
Issue: 1
Page: 39(3)
Article Type: Book review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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