Making Development Work: Development Learning in a World of Poverty and Wealth (World Bank Series on Evaluation and Development, 4)

Book Description

In Effective Innovation, John Adair looks at both creativity and innovation, generating new ideas and bringing them to market. His seven habits of successful thinkers provides a compelling framework for developing your own productive thinking skills.

Book Description

-Written in an easy anecdotal style with plenty of examples to illustrate the points being made

-Based on the author's many years of experience in keeping ferrets

Graham Wellstead's long experience in keeping, breeding and working ferrets makes this an invaluable guide for the beginner and novice handler.

Realizing that the passing down of information on ferrets between generations was in danger of dying out and finding little written on the subject, the author was inspired to write this book. Since it was first published, ferret keeping has grown in popularity and The Ferret and Ferreting Guide, written in an easy, humorous style, includes anecdotes drawn from the author's many years of experience.

Book Description

Written by a neurobiologist and a psychologist, this volume presents a new theory of olfactory perception. Drawing on research in neuroscience, physiology, and ethology, Donald A. Wilson and Richard J. Stevenson address the fundamental question of how we navigate through a world of chemical encounters and provide a compelling alternative to the "reception-centric" view of olfaction.

The major research challenge in olfaction is determining how the brain discriminates one smell from another. Here, the authors hold that olfaction is generally not a simple physiochemical process, but rather a plastic process that is strongly tied to memory. They find the traditional approach -- which involves identifying how particular features of a chemical stimulus are represented in the olfactory system -- to be at odds with historical data and with a growing body of neurobiological and psychological evidence that places primary emphasis on synthetic processing and experiential factors.

Wilson and Stevenson propose that experience and cortical plasticity not only are important for traditional associative olfactory memory but also play a critical, defining role in odor perception and that current views are insufficient to account for current and past data.

The book includes a broad comparative overview of the structure and function of olfactory systems, an exploration into the mechanisms of odor detection and olfactory perception, and a discussion of the implications of the authors' theory. Learning to Smell will serve as an important reference for workers within the field of chemical senses and those interested in sensory processing and perception.

Customer Reviews:

A review of the physiology of olfactory systems and mechanics of detection enhances this excellent discourse........2006-10-14

LEARNING TO SMELL: OLFACTORY PERCEPTION FROM NEUROBIOLOGY TO BEHAVIOR is written by a neurobiologist and psychologist and provides a new theory of olfactory perception, making it a recommended pick for any college-level health library holding. The major research in the area lies in determining how the brain identifies and separates smells: chapters reviews research approaches and propose that experience and cortical plasticity combine to play a defining role in odor perception. A review of the physiology of olfactory systems and mechanics of detection enhances this excellent discourse.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Latest, Greatest book on Olfaction.......2006-07-31

The biggest felonies in sensory science have to do with equating (1) the physical stimulus, or (2) early neural signals, with psychological perception. For instance, as long as a vision scientist confuses wavelength with color, he will have no tenable scientific understanding of color, and he will at best publish confusing research. Alternatively, if he thinks that he can understand color based on the simple outputs of three cone photoreceptors, he will remain in the dark, so to speak.

Perhaps it is not fair to accuse most olfactory scientists of the aforementioned felony. However, most of them, apparently, have focused on the front end of system, attempting to understand how chemicals are transduced into neural signals and represented in the olfactory system. If their explanation of odor detection and discrimination ends there, they've blown it.

The authors suggest that, historically, researchers have mostly attempted to determine how a chemical stimulus is represented in the olfactory system, without considering context and learning.

However, the authors note that this perspective is at odds with considerable neurobiological and psychological data, which demonstrate the importance of perceptual learing (i.e., synthetic processing and experiential factors) as opposed to the structural features of the stimulus as critical for odor discrimination. In reviewing the evidence, the authors conclude that the initial odorant features are not consciously accessible, and that this extraction is at best a first necessary stage for subsequent cortical synthetic processing. "Cortical synthetic coding reflects an experience-dependent process that allows synthesis of novel co-occurring features, similar to processes used for visual object coding. Thus, we propose that experience and cortical plasticity are not only important for traditional associative olfactory memory (e.g. fear conditioning, maze learning, and delayed-match-to-sample paradigms), but also play a critical, defining role in odor discrimination."

So, this book is on target because it frees itself from the shackles of simple models of chemical pattern recognition.

I'm not an expert on olfaction. My appreciation of this book was greatly enhanced by reading a very good introductory chapter on olfaction. This chapter appeared in Wolfe et al (Sensation & Perception, 2005), and was authored primarily (I believe) by Rachel Herz. This chapter included many informative illustrations, and the textbook website at Sinauer included an excellent section on sensory memory cues based on Herz' research. (I wish this book had colorful illustrations).

The authors do a superb job of comparing olfaction and olfaction research to research on the other senses, in particular the visual sense. They note the many similarities among sensory systems, and use these similarities to inform their analyses and their research. Moreover, they integrate their understanding of learning, memory and pattern recognition into the theoretical approach.

The integrative nature of this book was definitely a plus. If you are a psychophysicist or cognitive scientist, then it is hard to disagree with the authors on the key points of their theory.

Average customer rating:

It aint what you think !!!

It ain't what your hoping for !!!

Every diver should read this book.

A Good Idea Needing More Practical Information

I don not agree with everithing that is written in this book

Solo Diving, 2nd Edition: The Art of Underwater Self-Sufficiency
Robert von Maier
Manufacturer: Aqua Quest Publications, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Water Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Scuba | Water Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Sports | Subjects | Books
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Deep Diving, Revised: An Advanced Guide to Physiology, Procedures and Systems

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Diver Down

Essentials of Deeper Sport Diving

Technical Diving in Depth

ASIN: 1881652289

Book Description

This practical guide to underwater survival covers what divers need to know from air consumption to equipment redundancy.

Customer Reviews:

It aint what you think !!!.......2003-08-18

I bought the book expecting information, specific helpful information, on the subject of diving solo.
What I got was an opinion editorial on the subject instead. Pages and pages of editorial comment with little in the way of helpful technical advice.
I got more out of "Deep Descent" than what this book offers.

It ain't what your hoping for !!!.......2003-08-18

The book is more of an opinion editorial on the subject of solo diving rather than a technical description of how to solo dive, which is what I thought it would be (judging the book by its' cover).
"Deep Descent" offers more technical advice than this book.

Every diver should read this book........2003-08-08

No new skills or methods are needed to dive solo.
What is needed is a new attitude, one that every
diver should have anyway, even if they never intend
to dive alone. This is what this book is about.
I come from the rock climbing culture where there is
no certification, and virtually all participants realize
-they- are responsible to learn the skills needed to stay
out of trouble. This book is refreshing and honest.
It may save lives by bursting peoples bubble about
the buddy system. Others it will inspire to prepare
themselves to accept the new levels of risk and freedom
in solo diving.

A Good Idea Needing More Practical Information.......2002-12-16

This text covers a highly debated topic in diving today - solo diving. The author presents a lot of reasons, justification, and testimony for this practice and makes the reader think about various items such as fitness, limits, and air supply in conducting solo dives.
I am a working divemaster currently assisting in the teaching of a solo diver course in which this book is our primary text, and from my professional opinion it contains a lot of fluff and not enough practical detail. Gear rigging and streamlining is not covered, and I feel that this is an essential item that should be explored in depth for solo diving. Also, no potential underwater problems/solutions are covered, something that should be discussed and trained for. In addition, I believe there are more suitable methods for working with surface air consumption (SAC) rates.
Overall, I think that the book is good for getting divers to think about solo diving but should not be used as a training guide. This is a subject which receives very little publication and much criticism, and I am certain that as the knowledge base grows there will be more informative material published on solo diving.

I don not agree with everithing that is written in this book.......2002-04-12

But it is good to read something about this subject. I really do not agree with the depth limits :-(

Average customer rating:

Not very helpful or unique

Great Attention to Detail

Great Attention to Detail

Bridal Showers: Special Touches and Unique Ideas for Throwing a Fabulous Shower (Clark, Beverly)
Beverly Clark
Manufacturer: Beverly Clark Collection
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Weddings | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Showers | Weddings | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
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The Ultimate Bridal Shower Idea Book: How to Have a Fun, Fabulous, and Memorable Party

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The Wedding Shower Book; How to plan the perfect celebration-including creative ideas for invitations, games, themes, decorations, gifts, and more

Wedding Showers: Ideas and Recipes for the Perfect Party

ASIN: 0934081182

Book Description

Bridal expert and media personality Beverly Clark offers potential shower hosts invaluable advice gleaned through years of experience in planning weddings and entertaining. The key to a successful shower is balancing planning and organization with style and originality. Bridal Showers reflects this approach, featuring checklists, timetables, and worksheets alongside party favor ideas, advice on decorations and table settings, and scrumptious menu suggestions. Also included are essential shower tips and sections on shower themes and games.

Customer Reviews:

Not very helpful or unique.......2000-10-23

I simply did not feel that this book was very helpful or unique. I would not recommend it.

Great Attention to Detail.......2000-03-31

If you are detail oriented and would like to throw a beautiful shower, this is the perfect book,it contains recipes, themes for parties (including all budgets. Unique Game ideas, how to make favors or what to buy, decorating tips,all are unique and interesting. Some of the themes are Lingerie, Linen, Time-of-day, honeymoon, and around the world. Also has a detailed planner to help you budget, and get it done in time. I was very impressed by the book. It contains lots of information. Very good games, unlike THE BEST BRIDAL SHOWER PARTY GAME BOOK which is more for older adults, these games are fun for all ages at the shower.Good suggestions for couples as well as all women showers. Also good ideas for interesting invitations.I highly recommend this book,It has helped me immensly in planning a wedding shower. It also contains ideas for gifts to winners of the games. Best of Luck!

Great Attention to Detail.......2000-03-31

Customer Reviews:

Stunning 9th to 11th-century paintings.......2007-07-30

Spectacular medieval manuscript illuminations aren't exactly news, but I wasn't at all familiar with the Spanish versions. Specifically, these are Leonese style, thought to be derived from earlier Visigoth models. The Visigoths were sent to Iberia c. 410 to run off the Vandals (and to get them out of Italy), and ended up ruling most of what later became Spain and France, in the name of Rome. The Visigoth Kingdom of Toledo lasted for three centuries, until the Muslims conquered most of the peninsula in 711. The Christian kingdoms of Asturias-Leon, Navarre, Aragon and Catalonia occupied the extreme north of the peninsula. Wikipedia has the details, if you're curious.

The Leonese paintings don't look much like their northern European counterparts. What they look like are contemporary Ethiopian Coptic religious paintings, and 19th century New Mexican santos: bright colors, big, teardrop eyes, flat perspective. I just visited Spanish Market in Santa Fe, which features contemporary versions of old New Mexican Hispanic art, and saw at least a dozen paintings of Adam and Eve with identical iconography to the 10th century Spanish version -- even to Adam being (always!) on the left: tree of good & evil at dead center, with that ol' devil-serpent, check; guilty looks, check, fig leaves, check. Bright colors, flat perspective, check. Pretty amazing, really -- no substantial changes in a thousand years!

Very good color reproduction for a 30-yr old book, and not much else available on this topic. Check it out, if you have an interest in Hispanic and/or medieval religious art.

Happy reading--
Peter D. Tillman

What wonderful colors!.......2004-06-09

This little book contains a concise history of Visigothic manuscripts from northern Spain and dozens of eye-popping full color illuminations. Some are well known from other texts and some are rarer, but all show the amazing color sensibility and vivid sense of life that characterize this style of art.

Average customer rating:

Early Spanish Manuscript Illumination
John H. Williams
Manufacturer: George Braziller Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OLWDIC

Average customer rating:

EARLY SPANISH MANUSCRIPT ILLUMINATION
John Williams
Manufacturer: George Braziller
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OIGK66

Book Description

Warranties are fast becoming a vital part of conducting business in world markets. Here is the first comprehesive guide to show suppliers and customers in both commercial and government sectors how to use warranties as a powerful tool for insuring quality and profitability. Contract specialists, logistics and systems engineers, and marketing professionals will learn how to plan, cost, negotiate, and execute favorable warranty contracts. Beginning with a thorough review of the principles, types, and requirements of warranties, the book goes on to explore the significance of pertinent trade legislation and the future use of warranties in business practice. Detailed guidelines are presented for dealing with such critical issues as performance guarantee, tradeoffs, and cost-effectiveness. Valuable case histories and sample warranty requirements/clauses help clear up all confusion surrounding the warranty process.

Customer Reviews:

More B2B, Less DOD.......2001-07-21

As mentioned in another review, this book is very heavily oriented toward the government sector. The basic concepts of course apply to B2B suppliers as well, but it is difficult and frustrating to constantly have to stretch to relate the concepts and techniques to the private sector. My biggest complaint is the author's constant use of abbreviations and acronyms. I found myself having to keep a running glossary of his terms (MTBF, EPR, LSC, to mention a few) just to understand what he was talking about. In general, it is a good book for gaining a basic understanding of supplier warranties, but don't expect it to give you a lot of insight into developing your own.

It really depends.................2000-06-14

The contents of this book is generally OK in terms of informative and educational. It gives you the general ideas of what warranty is all about. But one drawback, as I put my title, if you are in a private business, you might be dispointed because significant portion of this book is on Government businesses - Army, DOT,Air Force, etc., Especially on the "Warranty Costing"; but if you are in Government, then you will find it relevant and helpful.

Warranties : Planning Analysis and Implementation (McGraw-Hill Logistics Ser.)

Average customer rating:

Warranties : Planning Analysis and Implementation (McGraw-Hill Logistics Ser.)
James R. Brennan
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OFMCHA

Book Description

This award-winning book provides a unique window on how America began to intervene in world affairs. In exploring what might be called the prehistory of Dollar Diplomacy, Cyrus Veeser brings together developments in New York, Washington, Santo Domingo, Brussels, and London. Theodore Roosevelt plays a leading role in the story as do State Department officials, Caribbean rulers, Democratic party leaders, bankers, economists, international lawyers, sugar planters, and European bondholders, among others.

The book recounts a little-known incident: the takeover by the Santo Domingo Improvement Company (SDIC) of the foreign debt, national railroad, and national bank of the Dominican Republic. The inevitable conflict between private interest and public policy led President Roosevelt to launch a sweeping new policy that became known as the Roosevelt corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. The corollary gave the U. S. the right to intervene anywhere in Latin American that "wrongdoing or impotence" (in T. R.'s words) threatened "civilized society." The "wrongdoer" in this case was the SDIC. Imposing government control over corporations was launched and became a hallmark of domestic policy. By proposing an economic remedy to a political problem, the book anticipates policies embodied in the Marshall Plan, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank.

World Safe for Capitalism: Dollar Diplomacy and America's Rise to

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World Safe for Capitalism: Dollar Diplomacy and America's Rise to
Cyrus Veeser
Manufacturer: Veeser, Cyrus. A World Safe for Capitalism: Dollar Diplomacy and America's Rise to Global Power. Columbia University Press, 2002. Hardcover. 250pp. Fine, as new / as new dj.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000TACWVG

Democracy or shylocracy: A brief for men and women who labour and who sacrifice to make the world safe for democracy, only to find themselves enslaved ... their earnings controlled by the monopolists

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Democracy or shylocracy: A brief for men and women who labour and who sacrifice to make the world safe for democracy, only to find themselves enslaved ... their earnings controlled by the monopolists
Harold Sherwood Spencer
Manufacturer: C.F. Roworth
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0008B4LQK

Average customer rating:

A World Safe for Capitalism
Cyrus Veeser
Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPY8IG

Average customer rating:

World Safe for Capitalism: Dollar Diplomacy and America's Rise to

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ICHC8S

Book Description

In the new global economy, more countries have opened up to international competition and rapid capital flows. However, in the triad the process of globalization is rather asymmetric. With a rising role of multinational companies there are favorable prospects for higher global growth and economic catching-up, respectively. Theoretical analysis suggests key ingredients of sustained growth, but there is also a new concept of a long-term equilibrium income gap in which convergence is rather unlikely. The analysis also picks up European and US labor market issues in the context of economic globalization and raises the question of which EU policies in the field of labor market reform and of innovation policies are adequate.

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