Manual and Atlas of the Penicillia

Book Description

Whether you travel for business, pleasure, or a combination of the two, the ever-popular CULTURE SHOCK! series belongs in your backpack or briefcase. Get the nuts-and-bolts information you need to survive and thrive wherever you go. CULTURE SHOCK! country guides are easy-to-read, accurate, and entertaining crash courses in local customs and etiquette. CULTURE SHOCK! practical guides offer the inside information you need whether you're a student, a parent, a globetrotter, or a working traveler. CULTURE SHOCK! AT YOUR DOOR guides equip you for daily life in some of the world's most cosmopolitan cities. And CULTURE SHOCK! SUCCESS SECRETS guides offer relevant, practical information with the real-life insights and cultural know-how that can make the difference between business success and failure.

Each CULTURE SHOCK! title is written by someone who's lived and worked in the country, and each book is packed with practical, accurate, and enjoyable information to help you find your way and feel at home.

Customer Reviews:

Good for a starter.......2006-10-16

Much, but not all, of the information in this book is difficult to apply to my wife and her siblings being, what I would consider, "modern" Filipinos. However, it does provide a great deal of insight into where many of the current social mores came from. Just because they may not apply in every case doesn't mean a visitor should be unaware of them altogether. I've not had a problem with being "too polite" yet and you're not going to be dealing with "modern" Filipinos the entire time unless you never leave Makati. Even then, some of the older Filipinos place great value on some of the old things. What it did for me, more than anything, was give me more appreciation of the Filipino culture; where it came from, what it lost, and what has been kept. Just keep in mind this book is only a primer, not a bible. The key to being a visitor in any country is always, be polite, be flexible and stay positive.
As for comments some may consider "anti-American" it may be culture shock to those who think the U.S. has always been fair to the Filipino. Even 100 years after the U.S. occupied the Philippines there exists a state of denial among many. Read Renato Constantino, THE MISEDUCATION OF THE FILIPINO.

This book ain't nothing but trash! .......2006-01-27

Truthfully, I wouldn't even give it a 1 star! This stuff ain't true about us new breed of Filipinos. This book is a bit outdated. Don't even read it!
Just for example about the opening of present issue. It may be true to some but not all of us. And so does any other country. This is not a very helpful book.

Practical and funny but dated.......2005-07-21

The book is very useful mainly for it's practical tips. My Filipina partner agreed with most of the issues I looked up for advice. If you get asked to be a godparent for a filipino child read this book before you say yes or no! The writing is down to earth and we found it quite funny though friends in the Philippines said some of the ideas were a bit old fashioned.

Three things I learned from this book.......2004-12-31

I am a Filipino-Canadian, and I'm grateful for this book because it gave me valuable insights into Filipino culture (and myself):

- hiya = shame. Much of what Filipinos do and don't do is motivated by the avoidance of hiya.

- amor proprio = face. Filipinos try very hard to avoid making other people lose face in the slightest.

- utang na loob = debt to another after receiving a gift. Receiving a gift is bittersweet for Filipinos because the giver has some control over you now.

Culture Shock:Philippines.......2004-02-26

The book contains a lot of useful information and the authors are obviously knowledgeable about Filipino history and culture but I found the presentation to be somewhat monotonous and uninteresting. The pictures also seem dated.

Success Secrets to Maximize Business in the Philippines (Culture Shock! Success Secrets to Maximize Business)

Average customer rating:

Success Secrets to Maximize Business in the Philippines (Culture Shock! Success Secrets to Maximize Business)
Joaquin L Gonzalez , and Luis R Calingo
Manufacturer: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Job Hunting | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | International | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Customs & Traditions | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Succeed in Business: Philippines (Culture Shock! Success Secrets to Maximize Business)

ASIN: 1558685405

Book Description

Whether you travel for business, pleasure, or a combination of the two, the ever-popular "Culture Shock!" series belongs in your backpack or briefcase. Get the nuts-and-bolts information you need to survive and thrive wherever you go. "Culture Shock!" country guides are easy-to-read, accurate, and entertaining crash courses in local customs and etiquette. "Culture Shock!" practical guides offer the inside information you need whether you're a student, a parent, a globetrotter, or a working traveler. "Culture Shock!" at your Door guides equip you for daily life in some of the world's most cosmopolitan cities. And "Culture Shock!" Success Secrets guides offer relevant, practical information with the real-life insights and cultural know-how that can make the difference between business success and failure.

Book Description

Each "Culture Shock!" title is written by someone who's lived and worked in the country, and each book is packed with practical, accurate, and enjoyable information to help you find your way and feel at home.

Average customer rating:
Culture Shock! Philippines: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette (Culture Shock! Philippines)
Alfredo Roces , and Grace Roces
Manufacturer: Marshall Cavendish Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Customs & Traditions | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Philippines | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books
Southeast | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books
Culture Shock! | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books
General | Travel | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0761425055

Average customer rating:
Culture shock!
Alfredo Roces
Manufacturer: Graphic Arts Center Pub. Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Etiquette | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006R55JI

Average customer rating:

You Can't Put It Down!!!

Bob-what a concept

Ride the Wild Dream

Ride the Wild Dream

Who the Hell Is Bob
Steve Rudman
Manufacturer: Hara Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Business | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1883697670

Book Description

WHO THE HELL IS BOB? is the rollicking story of one of America's little-known but most successful entrepreneurs, Bob Walsh. Author Steve Rudman uses his considerable talent for writing wry and witty prose to tell what seem to be preposterous tales about Bob and his astonishing antics. More than one influential billionaire, a prominent atheist and famous cardinal, the KKK, CIA, and KGB, several U.S. presidents, a host of sports stars and Hollywood celebrities are just a few of the characters who play parts in this fast-paced nonfiction novel. Hundreds of pictures feature Bob with some of the most prominent figures and events of the twentieth century.

Customer Reviews:

You Can't Put It Down!!!.......2001-11-07

This is a book you absolutely can't put down until you've reached the final page . . . Skillful author Steve Rudman has woven a seamless saga of the improbable and inspiring life of Bob Walsh -- replete with humor, heartbreak, intrigue, humanity, and triumph -- in diverse, unequal, and unpredictable doses. While not a biography in the traditional sense, the book chronicles the seemingly endless and entertaining episodes in which Walsh was the catalyst and central figure. It's especially very timely because of the many years that Walsh spent dealing with operatives in the very Russian/Middle East countries that are the focus of America's anti-terrorism activities today. And Rudman's treatment of Walsh's extensive entrepreneurial and humanitarian efforts in the region are laid upon a rich quilt of historical perspective. The book also is a poignant profile of a man who litterally "walked with giants" in an amazing array of fields -- even as he was often villified in his very own hometown of Seattle, Washington. No one who eagerly devours the easily digested pages will be unfulfilled. Rather than one of the plethora of "how-to" books, this is a "how-did" book that will leave every reader, at once, intrigued and more informed and inevitably inspired. Trite as it may be: If you only read one book this year, make it Who The Hell Is Bob? I promise you won't be disappointed!

Bob-what a concept.......2001-10-01

A great behind the scenes book about many people and events of the last 40 years, all tied together by their connection with Bob Walsh. Lots of interesting stories from all over the globe. A very good read!

Ride the Wild Dream.......2001-09-27

Out of nowhere comes a compelling, multi-faceted tale, a nominal biography of Bob Walsh, an extraordinary, ordinary fellow who answers to "Who the Hell Is Bob?"

The author Steve Rudman has adopted the third person voice in a novelistic style to tell his non-fiction tale. He infuses it with action and suspense; sometimes we are left hanging for a chapter or two in anticipation, while other events transpire. Any one who starts this book late in the day is sure to miss a couple of bedtimes, before reaching the final pages.

The book is replete with stories of events that charm, amuse and inspire. One shares in the wry perspective of a notable cleric whose beverage of choice was Black Jack neat. One learns of the early tribulations of Regis Philbin and of the warm-hearted, gentle side of the acerbic Mr. Blackwell, the tart-tongued bete noire of the presumptuously fashioned. In chronicling the ten-year effort of Lynne Cox to swim across the Bering Strait from the U.S. to the then U.S.S.R., a feat effectuated by Bob Walsh, author Rudman personalizes this myth-like quest of the solitary individual pitted against the natural elements, the limits of personal endurance and cold-war politics. (Walsh's staff was totally befuddled when the request for assistance in obtaining approval of this swim filtered in unofficially from the State Department via the U.S. Information Agency.) This narrative is so gripping in the end that we - the readers - feel as if we are swimming with her as she finally sights the Russian shore.

A theme of the book, implicit in all the tales, as well as in the life of the main character Walsh, is that belief plus action plus confidence plus persistence can equal success. The author Rudman does not editorialize, but implicit throughout is this simple thesis stated in his preface; it's not until we have learned about a bone marrow transplant; open heart surgery involving a physical anomaly rarely encountered; an adoption in Tbilisi, Georgia; a missile-launching from Russia toward the U.S.; how an Armenian arms dealer saved a Seattle team providing earthquake relief in Armenia from boarding Pan Am 103 in London bound for Lockerbie, Scotland; and other unbelievable, but quite real, incidents that we realize we've been ushered along a wild rocky ride against the odds.

An element of serendipity at first appears to drive the events in this book. It soon becomes apparent, however, that aspects of character, as well as a humanitarian penchant, more consistently represent Walsh's approach. Successes, failures, some abbreviated efforts -- all are reported in an entertaining manner by the author. At times the portrayal of Walsh may seem almost harsh in its realism, but this accuracy of reporting ultimately enhances the significance and poignancy of the story.

Overall, these are very much life-affirming tales right out of the heart of the best of human experience -- paeans to determination, courage, perseverance and, in some cases, just plain stubborn foolhardiness. Bob Walsh, the businessman, may remain the 'outsider' to the stodgy factions of the staid Seattle business community, but to many in the rest of the world, as the stories reveal, he'a a well-known 'insider', frequently a friend.

For readers with an interst in expanding their horizons and their appreciation of the role that determination can play in their lives, with an interest in the subtle machinations of a consummate 'maestro'. and with an interest in the magic of global networking, this book is a fruitful and rewarding reading experience.

Ride the Wild Dream.......2001-09-22

Out of nowhere comes a compelling, multi-faceted tale, a nominal biography of Bob Walsh, an extraordinary, ordinary fellow who answers to "Who the Hell Is Bob?"

The author Steve Rudman has adopted the third person voice in a novelistic style to tell his non-fiction tale. He infuses it with action and suspense; sometimes we are left hanging for a chapter or two in anticipation, while other events transpire. Anyone who starts this book late in the day is sure to miss a couple of bedtimes before reaching the final pages.

The book is replete with stories of events that charm, amuse and inspire. One shares in the wry perspective of a notable cleric whose beverage of choice was Black Jack neat. One learns of the early tribulations of Regis Philbin and of the warm-hearted, gentle side of the acerbic Mr. Blackwell, the tart-tongued bete noire of the presumptuously fashioned. In chronicling the ten-year effort of Lynne Cox to swim across the Bering Strait from the U.S. to the then U.S.S.R., a feat effectuated by Bob Walsh, author Rudman personalizes this myth-like quest of the solitary individual pitted against the natural elements, the limits of personal endurance and cold-war politics. (Walsh's staff was totally befuddled when the request for assistance in obtaining approval of this swim filtered in unofficially from the State Department via the U.S. Information Agency.) The narrative of the swim is so gripping in the end that we - the reader - feel as if we are swimming with her as she finallly sights the Russian shore.

A theme of the book, implicit in all the tales, as well as in the life of the main character Walsh, is that belief plus action plus confidence plus persistence can equal success. The author Rudman does not editorialize, but implicit throughout is this simple thesis stated in his preface. It's not until we have learned about a bone marrow transplant; open heart surgery involving a physical anomaly rarely encountered; an adoption in Tbilisi, Georgia; a missile-launching from Russia toward the U.S.; and how an Armenian arms dealer saved a Seattle team providing earthquake relief in Armenia from boarding Pan Am 103 in London bound for Lockerbie, Scotland; and other unbelievable, but quite real, incidents that we realize we've been ushered along a wild rocky ride against the odds.

For readers with an interest in expanding their horizons and their appreciation of the role that determination can play in their lives, with an interest in the subtle machinations of a consummate 'maestro', and with an interest in the magic of global networking, this book is a fruitful and rewarding reading experience.

Book Description

Wayne Padgett was a colorful, charming, and generous man. He was also one of Oklahoma's most elusive bootleggers and career criminals. From the 1960s into the 1980s, he operated out of Tulsa as a high-ranking member of the outfit known as the Dixie Mafia. In "Oklahoma Tough," poet Ron Padgett tells the inside story of his notorious father and of how he earned his reputation as a Robin Hood "King of the Bootleggers."

"Oklahoma Tough" is also a history of the distinctive mid-twentieth-century Oklahoma milieu that made Wayne Padgett's life story possible. Ron Padgett brings this vanished world to life with candid and sometimes comic descriptions of criminal life. Particularly insightful and entertaining are interviews in which former bootleggers, family members, friends, and enemies speak openly about their lives.

Combining biography, personal memories, and a history of the times, Ron Padgett bases his story on interviews with police officers and with those who knew Wayne Padgett, whether friend, foe, or family. He also bases it on newspapers and library, historical society, school, medical, and police records (Wayne Padgett's FBI files run to 1300 pages), as well as on his own vivid memories of growing up with his charismatic criminal father. Twenty-one period photographs enhance the story of "Oklahoma Tough."

Customer Reviews:

Oklahoma Tough.......2006-07-05

Required lots of research. Glad this information will be available for future generations.

g

Tulsa 'tween Boom & Bust, Bootleggin' & Beats.......2003-05-21

Absurd Realist poet, translator, and memoirist Ron Padgett, long ensconced in New York's East Village boho Beat & Existentialist milieu, turns to his roots in this tale of Tulsa folklore circling around his father, Wayne Padgett; King of the oil town's bootleggers. The Tulsa time of this wiley tale is somewhere 'tween boom & bust. The earliest reaches extend back two generations to Padgett's granddad Grover, though only briefly touching upon Teddy Roosevelt's trust busters and the populist ferment brewing against BIG OIL. Padgett barely mentions the Tulsa race riots in passing.

Oklahoma was a "dry" state when it came to hootch, but oil lease rigs were still dripping when Wayne Padgett came of age. Though there isn't much of Osage tribal flamboyance on display, as Ron Padgett hews closely to his dad's immediate territory. Terry Wilson's book on the Osages and their visibility in and around Tulsa during the boom years can fill in some of the local composition. Ironically Wilson deploys an absurdist deadpan in chronicling the Osages, close as an academic can come to the style Ron Padgett pioneered earlier in his career writing Beat memoirs & punchline poetry. Wilson cinematically captures the new oil heirs on their joyrides into town having assimilated silk top hats, tux and tails into their tribal regalia. Padgett is challenged with a central subject dry as the Protestant work ethic he embodied, illicit work notwithstanding. Despite the Dixie Mafia contacts and some compulsive gambling that plays out in tragic ways a bit up the family tree, the Padgetts seemed to be straight shooters, with only narrator Ron betraying much of an appetite or curiosity for life lived on the wild side.

The contrasts found within the House of Padgett are the stuff of cross-pollinated literary dreams. Imagine Elmore Leonard or his fictional hardboiled characters holed up in a tornado alley Plains safehouse with Burroughs adding-machine heir and stiff-lipped Wild-side explorer William Burroughs, as this Tulsa teen scene deftly sketches in. Ron Padgett recalls his fledgling effort at publishing an underground lit journal while still in high school and working out of bootleggin' dad's house:

"But the oddity of the larger situation dawned on me only years later: at one end of our house was the office of one of the biggest whiskey businesses in town, while at the other was the 'office' of an avant-garde literary magazine. Really, though, I was simply imitating my dad: I had my office desk, I operated a cottage industry, and I pursued a project that most people would have considered bizarre. But what was truly bizarre was that Daddy was reading Beat and Black Mountain poetry." Wild-eyed ecstasy chasing visionaries such as Ted Berrigan, er rather, a private eye hired by Berrigan's squeeze's proper parents, might stop by the house looking for the literary mentor, only to be gruffly chased off by Big Daddy. How did a high school junior out in the oil & red dirt provinces manage to net a cast of literary luminaries like LeRoi Jones (Amiri Baraka), Paul Blackburn, Robert Creeley, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Ron Loewinsohn, Clarence Major, Gilbert Sorrentino and Berrigan for his WHITE DOVE REVIEW 5x8 1/2 staple job? Just neighborhood luck to have buddy Joe Brainard hangin' out as Art Director. The same Joe Brainard whose too short career retrospective was being exhibited at top tier museums of modern art from Boston to Berkeley a year or so ago. But this is Wayne's story, a different sort of exemplar of Junior Achievment in action.

Don't be put off by the title OKLAHOMA TOUGH. Turns out the subtitled: "My Father, King of the Tulsa Bootleggers" is a tender and flavorful slice of regional folklore. Virtually every minor character does a star turn, burning some bit of colorful essence onto a reader's retina. From the penitentiary cameo by old school toughs like Jew Snyder, to the more fully fleshed out complex shades of modern men-in-the-making like Bobby Bluejacket, the bedrock matriarch Verna Padgett, and the younger generation roadhouse loves from whom off-the-cuff wisdom literature flows in Ron Padgett's interview tapes, one only wishes this memorable Tulsa tale included an index. If this ever makes it to the big screen I have no suggestions for the casting of King Wayne or Boho Scribe Ron. But the soundtrack wouldn't be complete without some ol' J.J. Cale-Leon Russell seductive shuffles, Jimmy LaFave dustbowl retreads and the Red Dirt Rangers' roadhouse stomps.

Excellent story that brings history alive........2003-04-07

A very well written story that depicts an unique individual living in an intriguing time and place. Wayne Padgett is a compelling and contradictory man, some one I would like to get to know. Reading this book is like having a conversation with this powerful figure.

What a GREAT story!.......2003-04-04

This gripped me from beginning to end: a very finely drawn portrait of a man of unusual quality. Anyone who's ever been drawn to the "outlaw" mystique will appreciate the opportunity to see how it begins, lives, and ends in Wayne Padgett, the author's father. A terrific read.

Book Description

Some days the beauty of life seems to confound us in ways that are quite remarkable. Then there are those dark days when life has lost its song and even its purpose. This is the journey of Solace of Solitude. It flows from exquisite joy to the deep shadows of despair. But this despair is not final and in fact is a necessary part of our journey toward completion, where the beauty of life becomes so pervasive, that life's bumps can't jar us loose from the tranquility and peace that fills our minds.

The first nine meditations of this book were written while the author was experiencing completion and happiness in her personal life, yet was plagued by the sad events of 9/11. These meditations were written to find consolation and to help others come to a more consoling resolution to their problems.

The situation suddenly changed with the death of the author's beloved companion, a cat named Rochester. Jan found that her thinking and approach to the subjects she had planned to discuss were radically altered. Rochester became the instrument for exposing her to a new view of life and death. Part 2 is a description of what she has done, experienced and realized as a result of Rochester's passing. It is a study of "afterlife" experiences and the peace and understanding that now control her existence.

Jan feels that these wonderful realizations could not have come without being alone within her heart and mind - they could not have occurred without solitude. Through this solitude she was able to achieve solace, a much different experience than simple closure. Perhaps by going aside in solitude you also will find solace in life and better understand the anatomy of grief.

Customer Reviews:

Overcoming the loss of a loved one.......2005-10-30

In her latest book, Solace of Solitude, Janice Gray Kolb shares with us her intensely personal experience with grief caused by the death of her beloved pet. She also gives recommendations on how to deal with, and eventually overcome, grief.

We cannot control our reactions to death and everyone grieves in a different way. However, whether we lose a parent or a beloved pet, the overwhelming feeling of loss can be the same. Jan advocates a series of exercises to perform which can help us to transform our depression and grief into more positive energy. We can then channel that energy into something that eases our pain.

For example, she suggests a walk in the woods to experience the sights, sounds and smells of God's creatures. Being along in a quiet place such as a wooded area can provide the solitude needed for prayer and meditation so necessary to heal the soul.
Spend time alone thinking about your deceased loved one, and keep a journal to help you remember everyday details of his or her life. Writing down your thoughts during a difficult time can be a wonderful way to connect to the loved one for whom you grieve so deeply.

Some suggestions even allow us to bring comfort to others while healing our own souls.
Jan recommends giving someone close to you a gift - a simple gift of love for no particular occasion. Often, their happiness on receiving an unexpected present will lift your own spirits. Seeing happiness in the face of a friend cannot help but be contagious, and even if only for a short period of time, will lighten your spirit and you will end up feeling more peaceful. It provides consolation and will help your grief to dissipate or diminish.

Each of her recommendations on its own could provide solace, but taken together, they are a formidable tool in a person's fight to overcome grief. Performing the exercises suggested can afford an inner strength to people grieving the loss of a loved one.

As Jan says, grief does not get better, but it does get different. We should strive for acceptance, but not necessarily closure. This book should be used by grief therapists as a handbook for anyone suffering the loss of a loved one.

Average customer rating:

must like stores like radio shack

Useless - not worth the money

Greasy Kids' Stuff

More for kids

A little silly, but fun

Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things: How to Turn a Penny into a Radio, Make a Flood Alarm with an Aspirin, Change
Cy Tymony
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Reference | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Experiments & Projects | Experiments, Instruments & Measurement | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things: How to Turn a Calculator into a Metal Detector, Carry a Survival Kit in a Shoestring, Make a Gas Mask with a Balloon, ... a Styrofoam Cup into a Speaker, and Make

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Electronic Gadgets for the Evil Genius : 28 Build-It-Yourself

ASIN: 0740738593

Book Description

Do you know how to make something that can tell whether the $20 bill in your wallet is a fake? Or how to generate battery power with simple household items? Or how to create your own home security system?Science-savvy author Cy Tymony does. And now you can learn how to create these things¿and more than 40 other handy gadgets and gizmos¿in Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things. More than a simple do-it-yourself guide, this quirky collection is a valuable resource for transforming ordinary objects into the extraordinary. With over 80 solutions and bonus applications at your disposal, you will be ready for almost any situation. Included are survival, security, self-defense, and silly applications that are just plain fun.You¿ll be seen as a superhero as you amaze your friends by:¿ Transforming a simple FM radio into a device that enables you to eavesdrop on tower-to-air conversations.¿ Creating your own personalized electronic greeting cards.¿ Making a compact fire extinguisher from items typically found in a kitchen pantry.¿ Thwarting intruders with a single rubber band.By using run-of-the-mill household items and the easy-to-follow instructions and diagrams within, you¿ll be able to complete most projects in just a few minutes. Whether you use Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things as a practical tool to build useful devices, a fun little fantasy escape, or as a trivia guide to impress friends and family, this book is sure to be a reference favorite for years to come.

Customer Reviews:

must like stores like radio shack.......2007-06-15

This book describes how to make gadgets. If you already know about electricity and magnetism and basic physical science, buy this book and impress your young cousins/nephews/ nieces. there is survival stuff like collecting water from plants, safety stuff like making a fire extinguisher, and cool stuff like building a magnetic ring or wand to do things (hence the radio shack title).

Also a good purchase for budding mad scientist and science teacher.

Useless - not worth the money.......2007-05-23

I found this book to be useless and lacking in creativity. I think I'm actually dumber for reading the section on how to connect things. It says to twist wires together or tape things together. I hate the fact that my first review is negative, but I felt compelled to write because I don't want others to be as disappointed as I was.

Greasy Kids' Stuff.......2007-03-10

Color me disappointed. This would be a fun book for pre-teens to early teens, but the Make magazine / Burning Man crowd should stay away. Anyone with a basic grasp of physics or electronics probably won't find much to astound or amaze here.

More for kids.......2007-01-05

The theme of this book is more for kids with nothing to do and have a little MacGyver in them. Not a bad bathroom read, but I don't really see myself ever using more than one or two of the projects described in the book. The theme is more for sneaking around which may be better for child thieves than survival tips.

A little silly, but fun.......2006-11-19

This book is a sort of training manual for MacGyver wannabes. It's a collection of low-tech, cheap little projects that one can do in order to simulate "real" technology. You could certainly use some of these in an emergency, which is what the author suggests, but that's not really the point of the book in my view.

The real use would be for kids-- or, even better, kids and parents-- who want to mess around with some every day items in ways they haven't previously, have some fun, and enjoy some "Wow! Look at that!" moments. Had the author designed the book explicitly for that purpose, many of the negative reviews here wouldn't have been written.

So, the book is both pretty silly and enjoyable, but it's not any sort of survival manual. A word of advice: Avoid the sequel; the author used all of his good ideas in this volume.

Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things: How to Turn a Penny into a Radio, Make a Flood Alarm with an Aspirin, Change (Paperback)

Average customer rating:

Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things: How to Turn a Penny into a Radio, Make a Flood Alarm with an Aspirin, Change (Paperback)
Cy Tymony
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PKPYCO

Average customer rating:

Excellent reference for northern california

Tree and Shrub Gardening for Northern Calif
Bob Tanem , and Don Williamson
Manufacturer: Lone Pine Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 155105275X

Book Description

Nurseryman Bob Tanem and garden writer Don Williamson team up for another great gardening book for Northern California. Learn all about selecting, planting and caring for trees and shrubs that will thrive in your yard.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent reference for northern california.......2005-04-09

After reading so many books written by east coast authors and/or too general to be helpful, I was pleased to come across these books (there are a few - just look up the author to see all of them). As the title says, they are all very specific to northern california. They devote 2-4 pages to each tree or shrub and talk about which specific varieties they recommend most for our area, and why. And they do point out that while a certain tree may be good for the coast, it will die a quick death come a sacramento summer.

Average customer rating:

Great book for discussion/review with group of parents

Kindlon didn't tell me a thing I didn't already know.

Interesting focus

An easy, interesting read, but ultimately shallow

almost good enough

Too Much of a Good Thing: Raising Children of Character in an Indulgent Age
Dan Kindlon
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Psychology | Child Psychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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Best Friends, Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Lives of Children

Silver Spoon Kids : How Successful Parents Raise Responsible Children

ASIN: 0786867272

Book Description

More and more children are growing up without a clear sense of financial or emotional limits. The number of households with incomes between $100,000 and $200,000 more than doubled in the last ten years. The Washington Post recently reported findings from U.S. Bancorp that even lower-income families are buying and spending more than ever on their children. But whether the cause is over-indulgence due to a new affluence or over-compensation for a lack of time spent with themespecially when both parents are workingmany parents have created a world where their childrens every need and desire is instantly fulfilled. But, as Dr. Kindlon points out, the one thing money cant buy for children is character. Dr. Kindlon shows that many of todays parents are spoiling their children, for many different reasons. Identifying Seven Sins of Indulgence: Disrespectfulness, Goal-lessness, Narcissism, Naivet, Amorality, Inability to Tolerate Boredom, and Underachievement, Dr. Kindlon guides parents toward helping their childrenand themselvesunderstand the consequences of giving too much and expecting too little. Of vital interest, both to families and to all concerned about future consequences to a generation of children surrounded by a sea of new choices and a lack of responsibilities, Too Much of a Good Thing delivers important advice and guidelines that no parent should be without.

Customer Reviews:

Great book for discussion/review with group of parents.......2005-10-24

I liked the book and it makes you think about your behavior towards your kids. What kind of parential behavior will help the kids in the long run. I thought it was very well written and this book leans itself very good for review and discussion with a group of parents.

Kindlon didn't tell me a thing I didn't already know........2005-07-17

I am frequently exposed to indulged children, and yes, they often have (or grow up to have) some serious problems as a result of being indulged. This book was right on the money. Aside from the parents who do the indulging, however, what person *doesn't* realize this fact? Unfortunately, those are the very people not likely to read this and benefit from it.

I have no real issues with the book. It's full of truth. It's just that when I was finished, all I could think was, "No shock, Sherlock."

Interesting focus.......2004-12-12

Choosing character as the focal point of the book brings out an interesting perspective on raising kids. This book is not about developing smarts, physical or artistic ability, and not even about disciplining your children. Moreover, it goes as far as suggesting that getting your teenager into the right college may be a counterproductive goal (imagine that!) Refreshingly, it zooms in on what kids need to develop a personality, rather than on what, perhaps, parents want them to have, and that alone sets the book apart. Many of the book's findings are based on statistical analysis of focused studies, which again is both rare and welcomed.

Being a parent is a demanding job, but many of us refuse to see it as such. We work enough at work, and at home we often seek some indulgence and fun with our kids. We want to be their friends rather than their guardians. At every moment, we want them to love us, and in any case not hate us. In short, oftentimes we are parenting for ourselves, rather than for our kids, for our convenience and pleasure. All this is not good news for our children. In fact, it betrays our rather passive role in their upbringing.

Some of the findings stand out as less obvious. That eating disorders in most cases can be traced to early childhood. That early learning of self-control, of coping with delayed gratification and boredom lead to higher SAT scores. That most sexually active teens wish they had waited.

The most thriving group of kids participating in the main study shared five characteristics. They had dinner with the family on a regular basis. Their parents were not divorced. Their room was clean. They engaged in community (even household) service. And they did not have a phone in their room.

To summarize, the book's advice seems merely commonsensical: spend more time with your children, set limits, encourage their engagement in an absorbing challenging activity, let them fail so that they have opportunities to learn from their failures. In fact, the book is more than just regurgitation of self-evident truths. Its strength comes from two sources: hard data for its conclusions and practical advice for parents. Truths are often simple (as in dieting: forget the fads, just burn more calories than you take in). But living your daily life according to what you know is right for your children - now there's the rub.

On the personal level, this book will probably help me say "no" to my 4 year-old more easily. And even though parents' "I'm doing it for your own good" argument never made much sense to me, just like ferberizing our child worked, I believe letting my son cope with manageable frustration is ultimately beneficial for him.

I would recommend the book to all parents and, perhaps, to some interested teenagers as well.

An easy, interesting read, but ultimately shallow.......2003-09-01

How to avoid spoiling kids is an important subject for parents of teenagers who have the means to provide their kids with a comfortable life. Unfortunately, this book doesn't really provide much insight into the situation. It's full of contradictions and doesn't help you understand how to walk the line between caring and indulging.

Many of the excerpts from real interviews with teens seem manipulative, with quotes selected to prove the current point the author wants to prove (which changes according to the chapter). What's lacking is any real context or analysis of the quoted teen's situation.

Ultimately the book provides some food for thought, and can be read in a few hours, but it's irritatingly simplistic.

almost good enough.......2002-05-23

This book touches on a subject but never gets past the surface. The content contains lots of interesting stories yet doesn't quite explain the reasons behind parents inability to set limits, to give consequences, and to be honest with children. I found these explanations fully explained, as one other reviewer noted in the recent book called "Hollow Kids" which is a more serious, well researched description.

3 Books - 1) Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys / 2) - Strong Mothers, Strong Sons / 3- Too Much of a Good Thing: Raising Children of Character in an Indulgent Age (Unboxed Set of Parenting Books)

Average customer rating:

3 Books - 1) Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys / 2) - Strong Mothers, Strong Sons / 3- Too Much of a Good Thing: Raising Children of Character in an Indulgent Age (Unboxed Set of Parenting Books)
Dan Kindlon , Michael Thompson , Ann F. Caron , and Daniel J. Kindlon
Manufacturer: various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VZPXGA

Product Description

3 Books - 1) Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys / 2) - Strong Mothers, Strong Sons / 3- Too Much of a Good Thing: Raising Children of Character in an Indulgent Age, (Unboxed Set of Parenting Books), in either Hard or Softcover, (See Seller Condition Comments), Shipped in one package to save on shipping costs.

Book Description

Susan Seddon Boulet lived life in search of the magnificent. As a child growing up on a Brazilian farm, she developed a deep affection for animals and loved making colorful sketches of them. From these formative experiences, she found her destiny, one that deeply affected people all over the world.

This beautiful, moving retrospective by Michael Babcock recounts Susan Boulet's artistic development and celebrates her extraordinary personal journey. It includes more than two hundred reproductions of her unique and wondrous paintings, some never before published, along with photographs chronicling the events of her life from Brazil to California.

Customer Reviews:

5K stars, susan is incredible makes great tattoo's.......2004-04-30

i love her. i have never been so mesmerized by
an artist before. sure georgia o'keeffe, and more
but susan just because my favorite artist in the
past 4 yrs. i have several tattoos from the
goddess cards on my arms, which are connected.
i hope someone else writes a book about her
life, etc. ...

A must-have for any Susan Seddon Boulet afficionado.......2003-11-23

I've purchased several S.S.B. books in the past because I love her work, but I was frustrated with these books because they were exclusively picture books that revealed nothing about the artist herself or the life she was living.

I was also frustrated by their lack of artistic documentation found in the other S.S.B. books. I wanted to know so much more about Boulet and what inspired the images I was seeing (not to mention the dimensions and what -medium- and technique was being used to create them) and how they progressed over time.

This book -finally- provides all that, and then some. It's well written and beautifully printed with page after page of brilliantly colored and detailed pictures of Boulet's work.
This book ties these fantastic pictures of her work to the storyline of her life so that you can easily follow the progression and draw associations from what was going on in Boulet's life to what was going on with her art.

The reader gets to experience all the phases of Boulet's journey, watching her style and confidence unfold over the years, through her experiments with printmaking to the serendipitous ink spill that led to a crucial stylistic element emerging in her work.

The book never wavers, never flinches away from the reality of the story, even when it wanders into the sad and dark territory of Boulet's eventual decline from breast cancer.
The reader is allowed to explore with the artist the darker territory of the end of her life and view the transcendent imagery that manifested as a result.

There are a few small "irritations" that this book does indulge in, the prevalence for discussing pieces wildly out of order for example, or the fact that Susan's son was mentioned once or twice and then utterly forgotten as a major element in her life (even though she wrote extensively about how important motherhood was to her as a theme). But overall, I have to say that these idiosyncrasies are easy to forgive in light of the richness of the overall feast.

Everyone to whom I've shown this book, who is at all a fan of S.S.B's, has purchased their own copy and I can't leave it out on the table without people snatching it up and poring over it - I think that says it all.

A Comprehensive Review of the Artist and her Unique Talent.......2000-04-26

Susan Seddon Boulet - A Retrospective, by Michael Babock, beautifully recounts the life of an internationally-known Bay Area artist, while a well-chosen selection of her paintings and sketches documents the many changes in her style, her use of new techniques and materials and, ultimately,her inner struggle with the concepts of life, death and resurrection as she courageously battles the cancer that ultimately claimed her life in April of 1997.

Boulet, whose body of work numbers in excess of 3,000 pieces painted from 1970 through 1996, began to draw and paint at a very early age. In the 1970's, after her husband died, she began to blossom as an artist, and her work in the 1980's and 90's reflects her growing confidence in her own very personal vision and style.

Boulet was a consummate master at painting multiple layers and levels of detail that only reveal themselves as one looks at a painting over and over again. From the painting "Dreams", with its rich panoply of animals, fishes, and architectural details, to Penelope, with its dark overlay of emotion and reflection, the body of work chosen by the writer to reflect Susan the "person" is a wonderful companion to the thoughtful prose of the text.

Pomegranate Press, the publisher of the Retrospective, allows the author full license to capture Susan fully, as artist, visionary, personal friend, humorist and story-teller. This book, with its emphasis on portraying Boulet's magical touch at bringing the mundane and the spritual into proximity as they relect the human condition as well as the universal "inner landscape", will inspire and comfort those who knew and loved her, and those who loved - and love- her work.

Those who have only seen reproductions of her work through the many calendars and notecards that have been available for years through Pomegranate Press, will be thrilled by the clear, color-accurate reproductions in this book. A "must have" for all the lovers of the magical paintings of Susan Boulet.

One of the best unknown artists of our times.......2000-03-30

Having just received this book today I haven't had time to read it closely. All I can say in regards to my first look through this book though is "WOW!" I'd rate it far higher than a five-star if that were an option.

Having been a Susan Seddon Boulet fan for a few years, since discovering her calendars published by Pomegranate, I have eagerly awaited new books about her life and artwork. Out of all of them, which are all wonderful, this one is by far the best.

The book is a biography of Susan Seddon Boulet's life from her childhood to her death in 1997. It is much more than that, though. It is filled with full color pictures of her wonderful, fascinating artwork. It also includes excerpts from her journals and diaries and gives the reader a beautiful account of who she was.

Who was she? She is a visionary artist. Her artwork is dreamy and fairy-tale-like in many respects, but that doesn't mean it isn't bold and daring. Her artwork is something you have to experience to believe. It is powerful. It makes you want to know the mind, the person, the soul behind it. This book has it.

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