Dorothy Stimson Bullitt: An Uncommon Life

Book Description

The first biography of the indomitable Dorothy Bullitt evokes a woman whose long life paralleled the growth of Seattle and who-against all odds-triumphed in business to create one of the first privately owned broadcast empires.

Customer Reviews:

Northwest Women.......2001-12-21

As a native of Western Washington I enjoyed this book. Not only for the local history, but for the story of a woman. She was a woman who could have played cards and held tea parties, but she chose to use her brains, and money, to bring quality television to the Northwest. I, and many other baby boomer children, benefited from the efforts. Dorothy reinvented herself after the deaths of her father, brother and husband. It's a profile in courage, to borrow a JFK book title.

Dorothy Stimson Bullitt: An Uncommon Life.......2001-06-30

For anyone interested in the early "movers and shakers" of Seattle and particularly in the woman who built the first broadcasting empire between San Francisco and Minneapolis, this book will prove useful. Dorothy Stimson Bullitit's successful competition--without any previous business training--against the broadcast giants, her striving for higher standards in TV programming and her support of educational television and classical music radio all make her worthy of a biography. While the minutae of domestic details about her early life in Seattle's high society may interest some, to devote almost half the book to the period before her love affair with broadcasting began does slow the pace. Although it is obvious that the writer knew and admired her subject, the biography would have benefited from the writer being more selective in her details and aiming for a more objective interpretation.

Book Description

Meet 55 of Wisconsin's famous athletes, either born or raised in the Badger State. Featured are athletes from major team sports as well as bowling, wrestling, boxing, golfing, rodeo riding, surfing, and race car driving. A photo of the athlete accompanies each bio. This book is designed for the 3rd and 4th grade reading levels.

Customer Reviews:

Short yet detailed capsules of the athlete's life.......2002-12-06

Compiled by Martin Hintz, Wisconsin Sports Heroes is an outstanding collection of brief biographical sketches of fifty-four of the greatest Wisconsin athletes in sports that ranges from baseball and running, to surfing to speed skating. Each individual entry features a black-and-white photographs enhancing short yet detailed capsules of the athlete's life and achievements. An excellent survey of Wisconsin's champion sports figures, Wisconsin Sports Heroes should be in every Wisconsin school and community library across the Badger State.

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The X-Rated Videotape Guide III: Over 1,000 Reviews of 1990-1992 Adult Movies (X-Rated Videotape Guide)
Robert H. Rimmer , and Patrick Riley
Manufacturer: Prometheus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Guides & Reviews | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Bibliographies & Indexes | Publishing & Books | Reference | Subjects | Books
General | Reference | Subjects | Books
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The X-Rated Videotape Guide II

The X-Rated Videotape Guide: Including 1300 Reviews and Ratings, 4000 Supplemental Listings, Photos of the Stars (X-Rated Videotape Guide)

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The X-Rated Videotape Guide V: Over 1,000 Reviews of 1993-1994 Adult Movies

The AVN Guide to the 500 Greatest Adult Films of All Time: Plus: The Sexiest Starlets, Hall-of-Fame Performers, Behind the Scenes, and More!

ASIN: 087975818X

Book Description

Anyone who has ever wondered where Dorothy's ruby slippers, the limo that JFK was riding in when he was assassinated, or Michael Jackson’s sequined glove are housed will have their curiosity satisfied in this journey to locate hundreds of items from America's pop culture past. From such major institutions as the Smithsonian and the Basketball Hall of Fame to offbeat collections in the Sing Sing Prison Museum and the Museum of Pez Memorabilia, these pop culture treasures include the most famous—and quirkiest—items from American movies, crime, TV, sports, and history. Among the included artifacts are George Washington's wooden teeth, the Merry Prankster bus, the piano from Casablanca, Bonnie and Clyde's death car, Jack Ruby's .38 Colt Cobra, and John Wilkes Booth's thorax.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful.......2007-06-29

This is an amazing reference guide for artifacts. I plan on using it in my around the US trip to find these amazing facts. I'd absolutly recommend this book.

interesting reading.......2007-01-07

Overall good book. Lots of pictures. Good for an afternoon read. Once its been read ==its been read. Don't find myself going back for a second look

I Love These Crazy Places.......2006-12-23

I really enjoyed this book. I collect "superlatives" and other weird roadside oddities - by "collect" I mean I really enjoy visiting as many as I can. This book lists a great collection of strange things and pop culture landmarks throughout the United States. I enjoyed the places and items included a great deal and it was a lot of fun seeing some of those crazy places that I have actually been to before! The only thing I would have liked better would be if the organization of them was a little different. PERSONALLY, I prefer these types of books to be organized geographically, although the index did include a geographical listing by state which was helpful. I also would have liked to get more information on the locations of the items - where they are and how to get there.

Other than those two criticisms, I love this book and was SO glad to have received it as a gift after putting it on my wishlist. I see that this author has other titles available and I plan to look into those now!

A Great Guide for a Great Day.......2006-04-03

Chris Epting first took us all over the US in his trilogy of American landmarks. He allowed us to stand where the famous, and at times infamous, moments in history occurred. Now, Epting put us in touch with the artifacts of many of these events. Epting cannot put us on the "yellow brick road;" yet, within the covers of "The Ruby Slippers, Madonna's Bra, and Einstein's Brain: The Locations of America's Pop Culture Artifacts" exists a goldmine of pop-culture "whereabouts." Some relics and there exact locations is information that folks like the Wicked Witch would die to know. Grab your cameras, get a copy of this book, take small children by the hand, and hit the road. It is a great alternative to wiring kids to their entertainment.

Fun does not do this book justice........2006-03-22

I have every single one of the author's book and was anxiously awaiting the arrival of this book. I was not disappointed. In previous books the author researched the locations of pop culture landmarks. For this new installment he searched out the actually artifacts involved in pop culture. Once you get this book it is page after page of information and I am one to tell you that some of the artifacts are not in the places you would expect. I recommend anyone to pick this book up and all of the author's other books. This is a time I can honestly say that there is something in these books for everyone. The author has researched everything and includes along with the artifact a brief description of its importance. This book and all of the author's book are an absolute joy to read and so much fun. There may even be a pop culture landmark down the street from you!!!

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The 2nd New Mammoth Book of Seek-A-Word
Richard Manchester
Manufacturer: Bristol Park Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Word Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0884862798

Book Description

Seek-a-words are one of the most popular pastimes on earth. This hefty new collection of 200 will keep fans busy for months to come. It's brimming with all-new up, down, forward, backward, and diagonal puzzles that will sharpen the eye and the wit.

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The 2nd New Mammoth Book of Word Games
Richard Manchester
Manufacturer: Bristol Park Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Word Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 088486278X

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2nd New Mammoth Book of Word Games
Richard B. Manchester
Manufacturer: A & W PUblisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000SHLXPQ

Customer Reviews:

WOW.......2007-05-15

If you want to hack the XP registry this is the book. If you need to know where items in the registry are located, this is the book. Reccomend.

Text-Book........2007-02-06

This book is one of several books I have looked at concerning the Windows Registry. It reads just like a textbook. It covers various topics that may increase one's understanding of the registry and come with detail programs one can use to change it. It is a decent book- I would even say it's EXCELLENT. However, It is a little to much for me. For a more leisurely read, I would recommend Windows XP Annoyances for Geeks by David A. Karp. It gives a brief history and explanation of the registry and comes with programs and tricks also.

Lots of fluff, not much meat.......2006-03-28

The first half of the this book (200 pages) explains what the registry is and how to change the settings. The next 150 pages give some detail, but misses some very important registery keys. No where in this book does it explain how to turn off autoplay on the CD-ROM.

Microsoft Windows XP Registry Guide.......2006-02-24

The Registry guide is chock full of tweaks for fine tuning the registry. If you are advanced in computers this should be the book for you. I advise you though to backup anything you do with your registry because you can really mess things up. The book points this out and gives you a better understanding of the inner workings of your computer's registry. I do think some of the concepts could have been more elaborated on but it is clearer than some books I've encountered.

Not For Beginners, Mandatory for Systems Administers.......2005-09-21

Not for the beginner or the faint of heart. The registry is that thing down at the bottom of the operating system that controls what the Windows XP operating system does.

Thankfully the first part of the book starts out with pretty basic information like what's in the registry. Then it discusses its structure, and begins to define some of those cryptic things like HKEY_USERS, and a bunch of other HKEY's. At the very least, the information in Part I is of interest and probably something that any fairly advanced user should know.

Part II gets into Registry in Management, this has chapters on Using Registry-Based Policy, Windows Security, Troubleshooting and so on.

Part III, Registry in Deployment is on using the registry to set up individual systems in a broad based deployment.

All in all, this is the most complete, best thought out book on the registry available. This is the second edition of the book on Windows XP, but it follows on previous books where Mr. Honeycutt described the registry on previous operating systems such as Windows 2000. His development of both understanding and the ability to describe that understanding is based on writing several previous books.

It's Never Done That Before: A Guide to Troubleshooting Windows XP

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It's Never Done That Before: A Guide to Troubleshooting Windows XP
John Ross
Manufacturer: No Starch Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Operating Systems | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1593270763

Book Description

When Windows works properly, it's relatively easy to ignore; you can concentrate on the work you're trying to do and forget about the plumbing inside your computer. But when something goes wrong, it often requires an experienced guide to solve the problem and restore the computer to working condition. Everybody who uses Microsoft Windows eventually has to deal with cryptic error messages, frozen screens, and other more or less dramatic problems. Windows troubleshooting is the set of tools and techniques that can identify the source of a problem and find a solution.

It's Never Done That Before is a guide to Windows XP troubleshooting for people who don't spend their lives fixing computer problems. It includes basic troubleshooting techniques, specific instructions for solving the most common problems in Windows XP, and more general information for finding and fixing more obscure ones. It also provides pointers to explanations of BIOS beep codes and blue screen errors, instructions for using the troubleshooting tools supplied with Windows XP such as Safe Mode and the Recovery Console, and advice for dealing with device drivers, the ROM BIOS, and the Windows Registry. Viruses, spyware, and Internet connection problems are all included, along with advice for getting the most out of the Microsoft Knowledge base and other online information resources, and dealing with help desks and technical support centers.

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Exciting bio research

Silence Can be Deadly

Despite Itself

great book on the biography and sylvia plath

A good gossip, that's all

The Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes
Janet Malcolm
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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Plath, Sylvia | ( P ) | People, A-Z | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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Sylvia Plath: Method and Madness: A Biography

ASIN: 0679751408
Release Date: 1995-03-28

Amazon.com

Sylvia Plath committed suicide in February 1963, and since then her poetry, fiction, and, increasingly, her life have maintained enormous power over readers' (particularly female readers') imaginations. Biographies continue to appear with regularity, despite the strong hold the Plath estate has on her work. But because of that hold, each biographer has been forced to accommodate the living (Ted Hughes, who was separated from Plath at the time of her death, and his larger-than-life sister, Olwyn, long the executrix), often at the expense of the dead. In 1989, Anne Stevenson's peculiar hybrid, Bitter Fame, was published, complete with an appendix full of devastating memoirs. It was not your average biography. When Janet Malcolm was first sent the book, she was less drawn to it by the Plath legend than by the fact that she had known Stevenson in the '50s, but she soon became captivated by the book's defeatist subtext. The dead woman's voice and writings seemed to overwhelm Stevenson's tentative narrative; and if that wasn't enough, there was also the none-too-angelic choir of those who had known Plath. "These too, said, 'Don't listen to Anne Stevenson. She didn't know Sylvia. I knew Sylvia. Let me tell you about her. Read my correspondence with her. Read my memoir.'"

Bitter Fame was soon garnering some powerfully bad notices, especially that of A. Alvarez in the New York Review of Books. Alvarez, the author of one of the most influential pieces on Plath, in his study of suicide, The Savage God, had some special, personal cards to deal, as have so many others Plath left behind. Because Malcolm's great theme is treachery--that of the interviewer, the journalist, the teller of just about any tale--the Plath mess seemed a perfect fit, and she decided to become a player, too. In 1991, Malcolm was having lunch with Olwyn Hughes in North London, 28 years to the day on which the poet died.

This is only one of the coincidences in The Silent Woman, a postmodern biography par excellence, which is less about the drama of Plath's life and still controversial death than about their continuing effect on the living. For Malcolm, all cards are wild, each one revealing more complexity, human cravenness, and, above all, brilliantly playful aperçus about human agency and writing's deceptions. I look forward to the dictionary of quotations that foregrounds the elegant "The pleasure of hearing ill of the dead is not a negligible one, but it pales before the pleasure of hearing ill of the living." And then there's, "Memory is notoriously unreliable; when it is intertwined with ill will, it may be monstrously unreliable. The 'good' biographer is supposed to be able to discriminate among the testimonies of witnesses and have his antennae out for tendentious distortions, misrememberings, and outright lies." It's clear that Malcolm doesn't see herself as a "good" biographer--she openly declares her allegiance, but is more than capable of changing it and of showing her cards. Or is she? In the end, The Silent Woman is a stunning inquiry into the possibility of ever really knowing anything save that "the game continues."

Book Description

From the moment it was first published in The New Yorker, this brilliant work of literary criticism aroused great attention. Janet Malcolm brings her shrewd intelligence to bear on the legend of Sylvia Plath and the wildly productive industry of Plath biographies. Features a new Afterword by Malcolm.

Customer Reviews:

Exciting bio research.......2007-01-13

Janet Malcolm is really unique. Her book is never a conventional biography of Plath, but a study of the things that were not written by Hugues, an exam of every other book on Sylvia Plath and a brilliant anaylisis of the literary biographic genre and literary biographies readers. Besides, her style is so concise and it has an inner rythm and you feel as if you were reading a thriller. And there is something really Davoine or Lacanian in her approach, because she shows the inner sides, the difficulties, the doubts and the reverse of everything she touches. You can see Ted Hugues hidding himself and divided between the two masters he has to serve. And in the same time, Sylvia Plath is there, in every page, the Silent Woman. Terrific.

Silence Can be Deadly.......2006-09-14

After reading everything about everything on Plath, it was refreshing to finally come across something unique and different such as,"The Silent Woman." In fact, one needs to read this book before they read anything else about Plath--- so they are informed and do not waste their time on the many false, unauthorized trash out there. One could say that "The Silent Woman" is a kind of rich almanac into Plath's secret, exquisite, dark world--and the people who loved and despised her. It is not a biography--but more of a journey to find truth.

I loved getting to know more about Olwlyn Hughes (typically English), and of course Ted Hughes. And "The Silent Woman" helps the reader to understand why they are as protective as they are about Plath. (I would not have taken a liking to Olwlyn and can understand why Plath disliked her.)

"The main problem with S.P. biographers is they they fail...They can caricature and remake S.P. in the image of their foolish fantasies, and get away with it--they assume, in their brainless way, that it's perfectly O.K. to give me the same treatment--apparently forgetting that I'm still here" --TED HUGHES

Come on people--have some common sense, some decency. How would you feel if your family displayed all their dirty laudry outside for all the world to see? And Plath has lots of dirty laudry--but don't we all? Suicide-adultry-mental illness-the list could go on forever.

I like Janet Malcom--her writing style, her references to Mr.Frued, and her surprising insights. I like the way she created something new from all of the hundreds of the same. After all, Plath was much too complex to be a carbon copy of something else.

Attention all Plath lovers---Read this book before you pick up anything else about Plath. The only exception would be "The Unbridged Journals of Sylvia Plath" -(superbly stunning) and directly from the horse's mouth. Now, this gem could be read before reading "The Silent Woman" beforehand!

Despite Itself.......2004-08-03

Despite itself, an excellent book on Sylvia Plath. Who knows the truth about the enigmatic, "silent woman" of the book's title? No one, perhaps, not even that woman herself, who was mixed up about the kind of poetry she wanted to write and about her destiny, even her citizenship was fluid. Although Janet Malcolm wrote this book to prick holes in biographies of Plath that seek to canonize her, she really sinks her teeth into Anne Stevenson's repellent and semi-authorized biography "Bitter Fame," which on its publication was widely seen as the Hughes' camo corrective to Plath hagiography. Malcolm finds out exactly what information Olwyn Hughes was willing to share with Anne Stevenson, and which slant was verboten, and the whole shameful affair, while not the superb intellectual condemnation of biography that Malcolm thinks it is, is stimulating on nearly every page. And in the process Malcolm tracks down and interviews some important people in the Hughes/Plath saga, and even makes room for Plath's most important critic, the UK theorist Jacqueline Rose. All in all, it's a mixed bag, and Malcolm is pretty repellent, but oddly enough it's exciting from start to finish.

great book on the biography and sylvia plath.......2004-03-09

Malcolm has written a great book on the difficulties of writing a good and fair biography. She uses Sylvia Plath, and specifically Anne Stevenson's Bitter Fame as her example. What you get here is an interesting book that engages the reader and at times almost reads like a novel. The book is gripping and before you know it, you've finished it. Also, Malcolm claims to be on the "side" of Ted Hughes, but I still think she gives a fairly balanced view of the whole situation. But, this isn't a biography of Sylvia Plath. This is a biography of a biography.

A good gossip, that's all.......2003-07-16

This book is just gossip about two famous(or infamous) poets.Janet Malcolm elicits gossip from various people who came into contact with Sylvia Plath in some way.Most of these people wrote about Plath or were her neighbors for a while.They were not close to Sylvia. When she met them,Janet tells us what clothes these people wore, and in some cases, how they dished up a meal. There is no reliable information given about either poet.Janet tells us that interesting biography can't be objective. But really, she can't be objective because she is unashamedly in the pro Ted Hughes camp. If Janet wished to learn something about Sylvia and Ted she could have asked an astrologer. Then she would have found out that Sylvia was a Scorpio, and in Chinese astrology she was a monkey.A Scorpio monkey is a strange character. She can be obsessive, extremely secretive and perversely wilful. Janet would have be informwd that Sylvia's Sun was square with Saturn. This indicates a strict superego controlling the instincts.This inner conflict would boil over at times into destructive behavior. Ted,a Leo, had eight squares in his chart, showing much inner conflict. His Venus was afflicted, indicating self-indulgence, an unloving nature, and erratic behavior in love matters.There is in-built tension between a Scorpio and a Leo. Unless both parties compromise, their strong wills clash and turn the relationship into a battlefield. Ted's Mars is square to Sylvia's Venus, causing a hostile attitude towards her.His Mars is in her fourth house of the home, so his hostility would appear there.An astrologer could have told Janet this, and more on what made these two poets tick.If you like gossip about famous people, you'll find it in this book

Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes.

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Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes.
Janet Malcolm
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M3Z84I

The Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes

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The Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes
Janet Malcolm
Manufacturer: Papermac
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OIP9S6

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Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes.

Manufacturer: 0
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ICT1KA

The Silent Woman: Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath

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The Silent Woman: Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath
Janet Malcolm
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OHAJ1Y

Customer Reviews:

Readable.......2007-05-27

This is a readable history of China, though it lacks depth. It was grateful for it in my history class because I wasn't all that interested in the subject. That should speak volumes to readers who ARE interested in modern Chinese history. As a text book it was problematic because of the infrequent use of dates to accompany the narrative. Wouldn't you think mentioning the date of an event would be useful in a HISTORY book? The narrative chugs along and you find yourself flicking through the pages trying to figure out when in the timeline of Chinese history you are reading about. Good maps, good analysis of events if lacking a bit of depth and nice use of conversational language to convey the history. I would recommend this book for the casual reader of Chinese history.

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It's Just Different.

Complicated But Informative Book On The Universe

Important cosmic perspective

Everybody on Earth Should Read this book!

unusual approach to cosmology

The View from the Center of the Universe: Discovering Our Extraordinary Place in the Cosmos
Joel R. Primack , and Nancy Ellen Abrams
Manufacturer: Riverhead Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | History | Bargain Books | Stores | Books
Philosophy | Nonfiction | Bargain Books | Stores | Books
Science & Nature | Bargain Books | Stores | Books
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Programming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos

ASIN: B000MR8TEU

Book Description

A world-renowned astrophysicist and a science philosopher present a new, scientifically supported understanding of the universe, one that will forever change our personal relationship with the cosmos.

For four hundred years, since early scientists discovered that the universe did not revolve around the earth, people have felt cut off-adrift in a meaningless cosmos. That is about to change.

In their groundbreaking new book, The View from the Center of the Universe, Joel R. Primack, Ph.D., one of the world's leading cosmologists, and Nancy Ellen Abrams, a philosopher and writer, use recent advances in astronomy,physics, and cosmology to frame a compelling new theory of how to understand the universe and our role in it.

While most of us think of the universe as empty space peppered with stars separated by vast distances, the truth, the authors argue, is far richer and more meaningful. For the first time in history, we know that the universe is more coherent and spiritually significant than anyone ever imagined and that our place in it is actually central to the expanding universe in important ways.

According to Primack and Abrams, this new cosmology clarifies how the universe operates, what it's made of, how it may have originated, and how it is evolving. Even more surprising, these startling ideas spring from both cutting-edge science and the metaphors of ancient symbols. The result is a very human book that satisfies our fundamental need for order and meaning in our world and in our lives.

Customer Reviews:

It's Just Different........2007-10-06

I took the couples class at UCSC. And boy was it a little weird and interesting... luckily their book was slightly less weird. It's def a different read with many mini history lessons on the cosmos.

Complicated But Informative Book On The Universe.......2007-10-02

This is a very informative book. It talks about the history of what humans used to believe about the universe and the most recent discoveries of our day. It can get complicated and at times tedious to read but I would suggest it to anyone interested in the universe's workings and in science.

Important cosmic perspective.......2007-09-17

Humans are in the very rare position within the whole Universe of being aware of our fortunate evolutionary history, as well as the history of the Universe. The authors argue that a thoughtful realization of that new cosmological perspective should lead us to develop new ways of viewing ourselves and the rest of the Universe.

Everybody on Earth Should Read this book!.......2007-09-03

This is a wonderful book. I am not going to reveiw it here. I think every human now on Earth should read this book. I would like to send copies to Mr. Bush and Mr. Ahmadinejad. It is not a diatribe against religion but rather a scientific romance with ourselves and the story of our incredible journey through the vastness of time and space. When we hear someone say that God created the universe what are they actually saying? Saying that God created the universe tells me nothing. How we got here through aeons of time and the immensity of space is quite a story. A story that we should all know.

From the book:

"Cosmology is a branch of Astronomy and astrophysics that studies the origin and nature of the universe, and it is in the midst of a scientific revolution that is establishing its lasting foundations. What is emerging is humanity's first picture of the universe as a whole that might actually be true. There have been countless myths of the origin of the universe, but this is the first one that no storyteller made up--we are all witnesses on the edges of our seats."

The authors do argue that we are part of a kind of cosmic lottery with life emerging by chance. They remind us that we have hit the jackpot really and are in some sense fundamental to the meaning of the universe. It is up to us to give it meaning. I do not fully agree with the random jackpot explanation. Paul Davies the rather emininent cosmologist from Arizona State university also posits the idea of a cosmic jackpot but he adds a thought that I think is important to make. Human life, as such, may not have been 'planned' but the life principle itself was etched within the physical laws of the universe. Perhaps this explains why the universe is so vast and the time scales for human evolution are so great. The appearance of life is so unlikely that it needs vast time scales and vast spaces through which to roll the dice. Life is achingly rare and precious.

One thing is clear...we are all children of the Big Bang. Time to end all the religous angst and hatred. Science tells the true story of who we are and where we came from. It is time to enfold our ancient mythologies into the emerging story of mankind.

unusual approach to cosmology.......2007-06-01

This book attempts to place current advances in cosmology into a modern mythology that would restore the central importance to human beings in the scientific view of the world. Many readers will find this a little flakey, particularly where the argument is thin (Kabbala). But I found it thought provoking and very well written. Even if you are a hard core science buff you might find this worth your time because the author studied with Marcea Eliade at Chicago. Very original and very thoughtful in my opinion.There is nothing like it on the market that I know of worth reading. I think it may find a solid readership in time.

In addition, this book benefits from having been written for a humanities course given at Santa Cruz. This may be the best introduction to modern cosmology in that it takes the time to clarify fundamental points about dark energy and matter and aspects of inflation that are often bungled in better known and more sophisticated texts. It is clear that the authors have spent a lot of time answering questions from confused students. The care is appreciated; I wish more of these texts were so well edited. An excellent place to start. It comes with a strong recommendation from Paul Davies whose recent Cosmic Jackpot is also excellent.

Book Description

Effective leadership-or lack of it-makes a critical difference in the conception, implementation, and endurance of community endeavors. In his travels as an environmental consultant and lecturer, Chris Maser has seen the dilemma many times: "I have taken part in so-called community visioning processes, in which it was patently clear that the people conducting the process knew nothing about a vision, or how to create one. "It has been my experience that the vast majority of people cannot lead because they do not know what the inner qualities of leadership are..." Vision and Leadership in Sustainable Development explores the seldom-considered philosophical basis behind the models and methods of leadership, pointing the way to the essential qualities it takes to establish a shared vision of community life. Divided into two parts-shared vision and leadership-Maser explores numerous issues and considerations to cultivate well-rounded leadership, and provide a more substantive blueprint for local activism. As with the previous and forthcoming volumes in the Sustainable Community Development series, Maser recognizes the increasing importance of local communities to take charge of the issues most directly affecting the environment.

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Merchants of Vision
James E Liebig
Manufacturer: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1881052427

Book Description

Can good business also further the common good? To answer this question, James Liebig interviewed dozens of business women and men in 70 organizations from 14 countries. Working with the World Business Academy - an international network of progressive business leaders committed to using their business expertise to make a positive difference in the world - Liebig found executives, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and consultants who are "walking their talk" by integrating their ideals in the world of commerce. Recognizing business's pervasive global influence, these business people have found ways to use that influence to affect positive change in people's lives and meaningful growth in their businesses. In Merchants of Vision they share their beliefs, experiences, and creative actions. Representing a variety of business enterprises in the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia, the innovators profiled are people of action and integrity who sustain themselves with the creative friction between their idealism and their knowledge of the real world. "Though they have personally enjoyed the challenges of business and been successful by traditional standards, " writes Liebig, "they recognize that the business system has often not adequately served nor rewarded others. They know as well that the natural world is suffering under the strains of resource depletion and environmental damage. These leaders have acknowledged that changes in the agendas of business are inevitable and necessary." The experiences of these pioneers - addressing issues of personal responsibility and product quality, expanding markets and shrinking natural resources, technological advancement and cultural preservation - revealways businesses must adapt to survive, thrive, innovate, and lead.

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