Companies Books

This book is part of the curriculum for 3 year-old children at private Carden schools, along with Good Night Moon. Both are Classics and belong in every child's library. The pictures, although sketches, look like the real animals, which is a plus compared to many cartoons, and the premise Disney's more modern Baby Einstein is based on too. It introduces children to the Real World. It also teaches the quality of being giving and sharing what you have, and how a gift doesn't always have to be tangible, since a hug can be a great gift to give and receive too.

Ask Mr. Bear is a wonderful little classic. I like to read it but more important, my 3 littlest cherubs love to have it read to them. It has a good storyline and the older artwork adds variety. They love the ending -- a big bear hug for mom! It is a favorite at our house with the under 7 year old group.

Wonderful children's classic to add to your child's collection. Heartwarming story about a little boy wanting to buy his mom a birthday gift and along the way he asks all his animal friends. The end is sweet and endearing.

I loved this book as a child, now my children love it. It gets them thinking about gifts they can give, and understand that a hug and a kiss for Mom is one of the best presents they can give. I've gotten a lot more of them since reading this book to them.

I can recall reading this book to my much younger siblings and then to my own 4 children; now I am reading it
to my grandson. I especially like the way the animals help the little boy find a gift for his mother with the perfect
gift not being something material but just a lovely big hug. What a wonderful message to pass on to a child.

Henry Brinton has been tackling challenging issues for many years. His church, in Northern Virginia, is in the midst of the DC Beltway ethos of compromise and euphemism, however, he maintains a uniquely clear and accessible perspective. He has honed his insight as a frequent contributor to the Washington Post.

Pastor Brinton provides a gyroscope for many of the dividing issues within mainline Protestantism. Following traditions like Jacques Ellul - he uses the tension between issues of Liberty and Obligation as glue instead of as a wedge.

Henry provides a perspective that every lay person needs in order to arrive at a sure foundation in uncertain times.

I want to commend Henry Brinton for his successful effort to define the critical issues the Presbyterian Church (USA) and other "main line" churches face today and into the near future and encouraging us to zero in on these issues in the every day life of the church. John McLellan

I have long enjoyed Henry Brinton's columns in The Washington Post and USA Today. Balancing Acts is another outstanding example of Brinton's understanding of the spiritual crisis in America created by our own diversity and certainty in our own opinions. This is honest, straightforward, and necessary talk about the division so prevalant in Christianity on both theological and social issues. Brinton does not simply offer these topics lip service--he offers practical examples of how to bring about unity in a faith divided. This should be required reading for pastors and lay people alike.

Pastor Brinton does an excellent job of describing Obligation (the individual with God) and Liberation (the individual with the unknown masses). What is missing is the individual with family.
Our God has revealed Himself to us as Father.
Not Hermit-Monk (Obligation) or social-Christian reformer (Liberation).
Our culture minimizes the role of Father and reduces it to a sitcom. Thereby, the clever devil undermines the paradigm of God the Father.
I challenge Pastor Brinton to write a book on "Intentionally Unfruitful". How can we moderns understand God's revelation if we had no father, were abandoned by a father, or choose to flee from responsibilities of fatherhood?

Henry G. Brinton, pastor sequentially of two medium to large mainstream churches in the northern Virginia suburbs, writes with engaging nuance of one of the most complex jobs around.

"What does God require of pastors?" seems to be the underlying question. Brinton's answer: "balancing acts." The image evoked for me was of a high-wire artist, juggling a red-hot pole with a cluster of strongly held beliefs dealing with "obligation"--purity, moral clarity, exclusiveness--on one end, and a cluster of beliefs-in-progress, dubbed "liberation"--diversity, charity, inclusiveness--on the other end.

These theological tensions, as mediated by pastors, are the meat of the book, "a balancing act between the truth of God and the grace of God." (Brinton, quoting Rev. Dr. Susan Andrews, former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church (PC(USA)).

The analytic use of moral categories like Obligation (Abraham, covenant) and Liberation (Moses, exodus) is designed to help us understand a source of conflicting group passions in theologically and demographically diverse congregations, in cultural politics, and ecumenism. In this genre, the Berkeley linguist, George Lakoff's "strict father"/"nurturant parent" come to mind, or Jack Haberer's five types of "God Views."

Brinton opens up (a) mismatches between young pastor expectations and deep-seated ways of doing that involve comfort, maintenance, tradition; (b) the impact of wholesale incorporation of immigrant groups into progressive churches; (c) the ambivalent reception by committees on the preparation for ministry of the flood of women inquirers and candidates; (d) government faith-based involvement; (e) relation with other denominations; (f) gays and lesbians; (g) youth and mission; (h) the unchurched and self-help spirituality; and (i) living in a nation at war.

The text is sprinkled with insights from the Pulpit & Pew research project at Duke (where 46-year-old Brinton did his undergraduate work; his M.Div. is from Yale), and from his wide-ranging reading. Parishioneres and leading lights, academic and ecumenical, serve as quotable resources in Brinton's conversation with the reader.

Things 'get in balance', in Brinton's view, when people work together, learn to respect one another in outreach and church work, and in loving, joyful worship. The chapters are thematic and lend themselves to good small group discussion.

There are a lot of quaint reference guides out on the market today, but as a professional writer and teacher this is always the thesaurus I reach for. Not only are you provided with nearly half a million synonyms, but Rogets make the definition conise and meaningful.

You will find this book an essential part of your reference section be it 2 books or 200 books in volume. It makes little difference if you are writing a term paper or a business letter, you are foolish not to have this vital tool.

I was sick of all the thesauruses in my office that are set up in dictionary-alphabetic format and turned to Amazon for the traditional concept-based thesaurus of my youth. I got it with "Bartlett's Roget's Thesaurus."

The indexing alone is well worth the money you'll pay for this, but if that's not enough, you might like the list of categories, (will and behaivior, spatial relations, negotiations & fiscal relations, etc.) that are included both by concepts and alphabetically. In addition, there are a lot of lists included, from breeds of cattle to stations of the cross to varieties of beans. Makes for some interesting reading.

If *that* hasn't convinced you, the actual thesaurus part of it is darn good. Many times I turn to this reference book to prompt creativity, to expand on ideas, etc. The contemporary terms and phrases and relationships between words and concepts are quite good. If you appreciate good resources, this is going to be a great desk item for you.

After several days of research, during which I sought recommendations in books for writers and tested a dozen competitors, I have found Bartlett's Roget's Thesaurus the clear winner. Compared to its rivals, it is cheaper, but printed on better paper with a more legible typeface. It has a useful thumb index and a clean layout unlike the others. Its wordlists, topics, and lists are more relevant.

Best of all, it's more intuitive than the others--not only in the process of looking up a word, but in the list of words found. And at the end of most wordlists are references to related concepts that increase the smart, intuitive feel to the book, a feature lacking in the competition. I consistently found the right word and/or wordlist more easily with Roget's Bartlett's than with Roget's International 6th.

The crucial step to finding the right word is when looking in the index. Fortunately, Bartlett's lists every single word in the index, whereas Roget's International 6th does not. Not finding a word in a thesaurus index is disconcerting, and substituting that word for a simpler, indexed one doesn't always lead in the right direction. Also, instead of distinguishing between nouns and verbs in the index, as Roget's International 6th does with hard-to-read type, Bartlett's streamlines the search by using descriptive phrases that distinguish, for example, "pedal" the part of a keyboard instrument from "pedal" meaning propel. This helps to pinpoint the right wordlist.

Despite its unwieldy name, Bartlett's Roget's does not exactly combine both reference tools. There is only about one quotation from Bartlett's every two pages, making the quotations more of a decorative distraction than a useful reference. But I see nothing wrong with the innocuous added bonus in a thesaurus that easily beats the others.

Wonderful reference! With more than 350,000 references, I have no problem finding the word I'm looking for. This thesaurus has words both indexed and categorized so that related words are even closer at hand. Makes serendipity more likely. I especially like the lists included throughout the book. If I look up "hero," I also get a list of famous heros in history. Bartlett's Roget's Thesaurus can make writing much more interesting and fun.

Indispensable! I gave my old copy of this to my nephew going away to college. What a mistake for me! I was in graduate school at the time and had another thesaurus in dictionary form..and figured that would be fine. Yuck. I found myself wishing I had this version again..so I just bought another one.

The way I use it is not to come up with words to impress people (well, not usually) but rather to remember a word that I want to use, but can't exactly recall (must be my age). I know you all have done it and can relate to that great feeling of finally finding that word! The conceptual setup is perfect for this becuase sometimes you can get close with a guess, but you need that whole section on weight (for example) to really pinpoint your word (not just synonyms for heavy).

Terribly interesting. I got it especially for Gen.P.Orridge's essays. It's also got a great Crowley section and a nice piece on John Dee. This is both a great collection for seasoned occultists and magick enthusiasts and an excellent launch pad for those delving for the first time. Enjoy!

Because I consider it my duty to buy any book with the words "Magick" or "Occult" in the title, I picked this one up against my better judgement. On the whole, my initial fears were that this would be cartoonish, poorly written and obtuse. Even the name, cribbed from one of Aleister Crowley's works, worried me. That being said, I am very lucky that I purchased this book anyway.

Richard Metzger, the compiler and editor of this collection, has done the occult world a great service by bringing together this series of articles and publishing them in one soft cover. Containing the works of authors such as William S. Burroughs, Aleister Crowley, Anton LaVey, Timothy Leary, Donald Tyson and Robert Anton Wilson, this collection isn't any sort of theoretical discussion of magic. What you'll find here instead is a series of examples from fairly famous people who have actually practiced magic.

Many people who've been practicing or living magically for some time will still have a lot to learn from this book, just as I did. The examples are eye-opening in some cases, and at the very least thought-provoking in others. I often found myself saying "Wow... I've never thought of doing it THAT way."

My only real objection is the heavy emphasis on the use of illegal and illicit drugs. I understand that the use of these substances has been linked very closely with the occult, especially in the United States, but the way this book seems to promote the use of these substances upsets me. Still, there are enough examples of magic without drugs to satisfy my tastes.

All in all the book is very well put together, with a lot of detail, good editing and nice illustrations and pictures. I whole-heartedly recommend it to students of magic from intermediate to advanced. Beginner's might want to get a little more grounding before experimenting with some of these ideas, though. Good luck!

If the occultophobes of the world had any sense, they would leave the Harry Potter series alone and forget all about it. THIS is the book they should be trying to burn.

Book of Lies: The Disinformation Guide to Magick and the Occult is a collection of essays and articles by leading voices in the occult world. A total of 40 written pieces take up roughly 350 pages here. A small sampling of these includes Phil Hine on magickal initiation, Donald Tyson on the Enochian Apocalypse, and Boyd Rice on the connections between the Biblical Leviathan and the mythic Dagon.

An entire section is devoted to the infamous Aleister Crowley, his life's work, and those who took his ideas and ran with them. Fiction writer Grant Morrison (The Invisibles) delivers his philosophy on modern magickal practice as a lifestyle. Erik Davis discusses the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft and its significance to the practicing occultist. Tau Allen Greenfield debunks the popular history of Wicca, and P.R. Koening exposes the fraudulent "Caliphate" Ordo Templi Orientis.

This book reprints an interview with late Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey by author/musician Michael Moynihan (Lords of Chaos, Blood Axis) and Dr. Stephen Flowers's essay "The Secret of the Gothick God of Darkness." Only Robert Mason's article on the "Ahriman Consciousness" seems strangely out of place; it reads more like a vaugely Christianized version of David Icke's conspiracy theories than the work of a practicing magician.

Be advised this is not a "spellbook" as such; a few articles give practical advice for starting points and point the way to futher study, but the book as a whole is an exhibit, not a seminar. But it's a very well-assembled and stimulating exhibit; read it to learn, evaluate, and be inspired.

Young readers or newcomers to this area of interest may be surprised to learn here there is much more to the world of magick than astrology, Wicca, and themed-deck Tarot cards. This book is a joy in that it not only acknowleges the existence of a darker, more volitile side to the occult, but gives it legitimate coverage beyond a cursory two-sentance summary in dismissive, generalized terms. This is not commericalized, superficial reading. No Three-Fold Law. No love spells, vampire poetry or tips for naming your "familiar" (cat). This is a challenging and colorful showcase that gives a small sampling of the forbidden knowledge shamans of the Lost Age knew firsthand and embroyonic quantum science is only beginning to point to. Get your copy now... before the book burners do.

"Richard Metzger opened the drug fetus's industrial BDSM play into the abolition world and transplanted the era respiration-byte sending program of the acidhuman body encoder to the digital chimpanzee's cerebral cortex." - Kenji Siratori, author of Blood Electric

This book, unlike Metzger's MISERABLE TV series is a joy to have. If you are a person open to the idea of alternate realities then you will find some of the best speakers from that fringe world here. You should not think of this as a typical "disinfo" offering such as "You Are Being Lied Too". This material would more easily be imagined as a series of essays along the lines of subject matter Robert Anton Wilson might discuss. Much of it deals in one way or another with magick and alternate mind states.

This book is amazing. Brilliant photos and great to read the history of Bulgari. Definitely a great book for lovers of the brand and of gorgeous jewelry as well.

Bulgari
Great book beautifully illustrated with great photography of their products. Interesting information regarding the company and designers.

What a beautiful book. I appreciated the jewellery before but this book is a lovely way to see how it is made, the desiging and the creating stages. The photographs alone make it a worthwhile investment. As a jewellery appreciator, I think it's a wonderful addition to my library. I don't get to see these pieces up close so this is a wonderful way to expand apreciation and understanding of jewellery.

Any college-level art library strong in jewelry history needs BULGARI: a lavish, oversized and powerful collection of color photos and archival pictures that trace the unique Bulgari style which was born in Rome in 1884. The book first appeared in 1996: its updated edition represents an extensive revision and reflects newly-discovered historical material and historical facts on the Bulgari firm, making it a top pick.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I was pleasently surprised when I recieved this book. When I looked over the discription of the book I thought I'd enjoy it but didn't know just how much until it came. The images are beautiful, full color and the discriptions are well done. This book gives a great overview of the design house Bulgari. I would recommind this book to anyone interested in learning about Bulgari or if you are just a lover of beautiful jewelry.

Famous Hispanic novelist writes broad brush cultural and political history of the connection between Spain and Spanish America--the "New World" of the subtitle.

He shows how the three threads of Spanish history in 1492--feudalism fighting toward central monarchy, Christianized Europe fighting against the Islamic outpost on the Iberian peninsula, and the three peoples of the Book--Jews, Christians, and Muslims--fighting for survival and cultural footholds in the rebirth of knowledge in the Rennaisance--played out on the projected Utopia of the "New" World.

Good high-level framework for studying South and Central American history.

Reading this book, helped me see how close to each other we all are. How the Islamic culture and arts are part of the Hispanic world. For instance, a great percent of the words that we use in Spanish derived from the Arabic language. It's a great read!!

This book is the English translation of El Espejo Enterrado, by Mexican writer and diplomat Carlos Fuentes. It consists of 399 pages divided into 5 parts and 18 chapters which describe the history of the Spanish speaking people from their Cretan and Greek roots, through their development during the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Imperial Period, all the way to modern Spain and South America.

The book also includes 5 two page tables titled The Monarchs of Spain and showing detailed genealogical information on the families that ruled Spain from 970 ad to the beginning of the 20th century (not included in the Spanish version published by Taurus-Bolsillo 1992), as well as a large number of beautiful black and white and color illustrations (also not included the Spanish version published by Taurus-Bolsillo 1992). I missed such information, when reading the Spanish version, particularly the illustrations, because the author refers to them in the text, often with very detailed descriptions.

The book ends with the credits, acknowledgements, and index.

El Espejo Enterrado is listed as an essay, although it probably should be classified as a history book. Yet it is more than that, because Carlos Fuentes is more than an essayer or a historian. He is a multifaceted artist who sees and describes reality in a more comprehensive as well as captivating manner than the average essayer or historian would. Hence he does not just give the description of the events that shaped the history of the Spanish speaking people, he makes them interesting, he makes the reader want to learn more. For example, by discussing the individuals whose thoughts and actions influenced the decisions of the Spanish speaking people (e.g., Jean Jacques Rousseau and Napoleon); by relating the major world events from which those related to the Spanish speaking people developed (e.g., the Renaissance, the French Revolution, the American Revolution); or by describing the works of some of the major Spanish speaking artists (e.g., Don Quixote, La Vida Es Sueno, Las Meninas, La Maja Desnuda). Hence with this book, you will learn more than the history of the Spanish speaking people, you will meet some of the great thinkers of the Western world, you will be reminded of the history of the Western world, you will learn about the products of the most illuminated minds of the Spanish speaking world. You will also discover about many word origins, (how many among you reading this review know the meaning of the word Saragoza, the origin of the name Malinche, the identity of the woman from whom California got its name, the reason why the Mexicans call the turkey guacolote). And you will acquire an awful lot of useful information which would otherwise not be easily available all in one book, for example, the real significance of Goya's painting Saturn Devouring his Children".

If you are educated in the history and artistic expressions of the Western World and interested in Spain and South America, you will not be able to put this book down until you come to the end. In actual fact, you will probably wish that you never came to the end.

This book is absolutely spellbinding and captivating in it's presentation that is both an excellent narrative and artistic with imagery to further enhance the experience. The editorial review here at Amazon by Kirkus Reviews is a good synopsis to get a good idea about the books contents. Also there are many sample pages available for your perusal. From a readers perspective this book is one to cherish after the reading experience is over. Carlos Fuentes presents the subject of Spain and it's influence on the new world with clarity and makes his points with the precision of a sugeon, clean and accurate. Beginning with the ancient imagery of the bull found in caves in Spain Fuentes begins his analysis showing how this imagery continues in the arts and culture in such diverse domains as the works of Goya and Picasso, advertisements for brandy and of course the Spanish spectacle of bullfighting. He picks and chooses his historical path, weaving through the centuries concluding with the the growth of Hispanic USA. The book is full oh historical facts, little known bits of information abound as Fuentes draws analogies that stimulate the mind, stimulating the reader to conclude further inferences. The book reminds me of Bronowski's "The Ascent of Man" only on a smaller scope, from a perspective that makes connections between Spain and Latin America as oppossed to the whole of humanity. The "mother" countries influence is expounded upon as only Fuentes can, his use of language is powerful, insightful and revealing all the while showing his keen intelligence and sharp eye for details. The accompanying artwork throughout the book is fantastic and helps the reader to further understand the subject. A moving narrative is delivered by Fuentes and I highly suggest this book to anyone interested in the history of Spain and it's long lasting influence in the Americas. A natural outcome of reading this book is to further explore one of the many topics introduced. Included is a complete lineage of Spanish succession detailing the various ruling families and marriages that created the kings and queens of Spain. Aslo there is an outstanding suggested bibliography. This is a superb book that stimulates the mind while you read and beyond.

The countries of Latin America have collectively had a long and tortured history; starting with the wars between the great native empires, the arrival of Columbus and the Spaniards, and finally US imperialism throughout the 20th century. Now, at the dawn of the 21st century, Latin Americans are more conscious than ever of their past, the contributions both native and European to it, and the state of their current economies, societies and culture. Part of this awakening and collective consciousness is the rise of prominant authors born and raised within the Hispanic world. One of these is Carlos Fuentes from Mexico, who in this book examines the origins and evolution of Latin American peoples, countries, and cultures. Paying attention to the influences from Spain, Portugal, France, various current and ancient native tribes, and now the US, this book shows how modern Hispanic culture came together in ways often violent, haphazard and chaotic. Rarely was one person in charge of this process; rare are the works that dominated this evolution. Outside of the Catholic Church, Latin America knows no equivalent of Sun Tzu's Art of War, Homer's epic poems, or the US Constitution. The author then tries to distill what is best about Latin American culture, and in doing so, points a way forward for Hispanics throughout the Western Hemisphere. Overall, a great book to understand this region of the world, its past, its present, and its probable future.

The dream of the electrical vehicle was first inspired by the success of the sunraycer, a vehicle capable of 41 mph and able to traverse the US on five gallons of gas. EV technology faced two signicant barriers: the DC to AC inverter and the 100,000 mile battery life. AC motors were lighter and but the electricity had to be chopped or inverted. Alan Cocconi had built a inverter for his SunRaycer and also designed and built regenerative braking. At Aerovironment, Brooks used the Sunraycer power design and built an EV with a more power inverter and AC motors and battery pack. Cocconi built two inverters which each powered a 50 kilowatt motor.

The GM impact prototype solved both of these problems. Alec Brooks was assigned to study Paul MacCready in the offices of AeroVironment and his efficient motors. MacCready had built an Electric Vehicle prototype for GM - with its streaming lines; the initial idea was too make the rear wheel base shorter than the front creating a tapering effect. The car was to be built from aluminum rather than steel. The Impact had a fiber glass body.

It was Baker's job to bring the EV car to market. Baker reluctantly took the task, a task he dreaded because of early failure with the electrovette.

Lead Acid batteries were a problem, but they were cheap and they worked. Lead acid batteries needed water replenishment; engineers tried to devise methods and these batteries could not be 100% discharged and recharged for a 1,000 cycles. Heat and cold affect the electrical output of the battery. The batteries weighted about 900 pounds. Nickle Metal Hydrid was proven but not used immediately; Baker didn't want any delays; Baker needed to get the EV quality to production status: heater, air conditioner, radio, and suspension system.

The impact could accelerate from 0-60 seconds in 7.9 seconds reaching a speed of 75 mph; it could travel 124 miles at 55 mph and in city reach 300 mile range.

This is a great book. The author follows the tangled story of how GM developed the first production electric car... but he went to press just a year or two before GM sent it to the crusher. See the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? for the sad end to this story.

For contrast, google for the on-line copy of "The Prius That Shook the World". While Schnayerson was following GM he was totally unaware of the development of the Toyota Prius. Like Shnayerson's book, the Prius book takes the development of a new car from a clean sheet of paper to production. From reading both, Toyota seems to have much longer term plans and much less in-fighting. GM changed it's mind with every new CEO.

By coincidence, neither book has a single photo in it (aside from the cover) and lots of personalities. But from 2007 looking back the Prius story has a much happier ending.

Shnayerson tells the story up to when the GM Impact was introduced. The film "Who Killed the Electric Car?" got me interested in electric cars. The GM Impact (EV1) was the most successful modern electric car, but it disappeared into the crushers shortly after its introduction.

His story is that of a dedicated crew inside GM working against budget cuts and management changes to make the car. It is a good read.

A shortcoming is that there are so many major characters-- A new one on each page in some chapters. One is Ken Baker, who runs through the whole narrative, as do Roger Smith (yes, that Roger) and Robert Stempel, one a former GM Chairman.

Another major character doesn't appear until chapter 20: Stan Ovshinsky. The 12 pages describe his career and the Ovonic 12-volt NiMH battery, and the test on the track at Mesa, Arizona, where his batteries powered the test Impact EV 201 miles on a single charge.

All of these 100+ GM execs and engineers were heart-and-soul dedicated to making the EV succeed. One cannot read this book and feel that GM was against the electric car. Shnayerson is an outsider, and was in no way a mouthpiece for GM or an industry apologist. When he tells of GM execs moving their families to Lansing or to Troy so they can work more on the Impact, you get a strong feeling that GM wanted this car to happen. GM sunk a few billion dollars in it.

I could have done with fewer pages of office drama and a new character on every other page, all of whom "exuded midwestern charm," and less about whether so-and-so was "on the fast track to a senior vice-presidency."

I would have preferred line drawings of new assemblies, for example, regenerative brakes-- a first by GM. I wanted more technical details! Cut a couple dozen pages of drama and give us line drawings! For example, in one of the few technical discussions; Setting a standard for EV chargers, page 223, after 3 years and $10 million, GM accepted Hughes's inductive 220 volt charger. Ford stayed with the basic prong-and-socket conductive charger. I wanted a line drawing of each, a photo of each, a short description of each.

Shnayerson gives an objective account of politics, noting the reelection of California Governor Pete Wilson in 1994, and Republicans unseating Democrat governors, and Republicans making huge gains in Congress in Nov 1994-- as a factor in reducing the auto industry's motivation to push the EV. That political revolution is missing in explaining the death of the EV in California in "Who Killed the Electric Car?" where the government villians are made out to be Bush, Cheney, and Rice. Shnayerson suggests that a Republican sweep in 1994 may have been the bigger factor, with a repudiation of 25 years of environmental legislation.

We humans may be incapable of analyzing economic factors, but we always emphasize political factors. This mental shortcoming has to do with the Availability Bias, from cognitive psychology: We overestimate factors easy to imagine or remember (like political figures we don't like) and ignore factors difficult to imagine or remember (like anything to do with economics). So when GM cuts funding in 1992 for the Impact, everyone, like director Chris Paine of "Who Killed the Electric Car?" screams out that there is a giant conspiracy by bad guys in Oil, but few recognize that when a company has a loss of a billion dollars, they need to cut back somewhere.

Shnayerson spends only a few pages on Japanese electric cars: All four major Japanese carmakers had cars to show at the Anaheim California December 1994-- EV Symposium 12. Mazda had an EV Miata. In France, residents were paying for the privilege of test driving 50 Peugeot-Citroen ZX and 105 model prototypes. If Big Oil, Autos, and the U.S. Gov killed the GM EV, who killed the French and Japanese EVs? Which brings up the Big Red Cars in Southern California.

Did Standard Oil and GM and B. F. Goodrich destroy Henry Huntington's Pacific Electric, the world's best electric car system, with its more than 1000 miles of standard gauge track? Or rather than a giant conspiracy, is the fault in the hands of my mother and father and thousands like them who destroyed the Pacific Electric-- they purchased a shiny new 1949 Nash, instead of spending that money on tickets to ride the Red Cars. We blame the "greedy" oil companies, but we don't think about tens of thousands of Southern Californians ready to buy that status symbol, their own auto, after years of rationing during and after World War II.

This is a fascinating inside story about the development of electric cars in the early '90s.

GM unveiled a prototype electric car in 1990 and conveyed the message to California (and other states) that they could develop such a vehicle for consumer use. California shortly thereafter adopted standards requiring the top 7 car manufacturers to sell emission free vehicles totalling 2% of sales in 1998, increasing to 5% in 2001, then 10% in 2003.

GM proceeded to lose enormous sums of money in the early 1990s. But they still worked to develop the electric car for two reasons. One was to be able to meet the California standards. The other was hoping they would be ahead of the curve and make money on the new technology.

But many technical issues needed to be resolved to bring the car to market, the biggest being batteries. Developing batteries capable of providing adequate storage capacity for a reasonable amount of driving was (and remains) a monumental problem.

At the same time GM was developing a marketable electric car, they (along with Ford, Chrysler, and Big Oil) lobbied hard to eliminate the emission free mandates, claiming the technology and consumer demand wasn't there. What did GM want to happen? It seems that they didn't really know, in part because they were bleeding money.

California blinked in the 4th quarter of 1995 and eliminated the mandate. Then, in January 1996 GM unveiled the EV1, a 2 seat electric sports car.

For a follow-up on the "success" of the EV1 and other EVs, I recommend the movie "Who killed the Electric Car?". Disturbing.

The book "The Car That Could" tells the story of GM's EV1 much better than the film "Who Killed the Electric Car?". The book tells the story of the EV1's birth. That is of course a more hopeful story than the EV1's death, which the film covers. And that fact alone makes a big difference in the impact of the story that is told.

But there is another difference. "The Car That Could" tells the inside story of how the EV1 came to be. People within GM make a huge effort to give birth to the car. This was no sham attempt to live up to the California Air Resources Board mandate to put electric cars on the road. GM clearly had its technical and marketing people do their best work. And they did build a great little car, a car that could.

As we know now, though, GM's EV1 did not live very long. The passion of those who put their money down to lease the cars could not make up for the fact that they were few in number. When the California Air Resources Board's mandate went away, that spelled doom for the EV1.

No new EV1s were made. Those that had been made were crushed. A sad end for the car that could.

But though the film "Who Killed the Electric Car" implies that GM killed the EV1, the reasons for its death were more complex than that. And the real story of its death has not, I think, been told. Certainly not as well, and with so much insight, as the story of its birth.

But the story of the electric car has not ended. And there may be some hope for a happy ending. Recently GM's CEO Rick Wagoner has said that he regrets the decision to kill the EV1. And GM promises to come out soon with a new series hybrid electric car. That may put GM back into competition with Toyota and Honda, and their parallel hybrid cars. If so, maybe we will see another, more successful version of a GM car that could.

Michael Shnayerson did a great job researching and writing about the birth of the EV1. Many of the insights written into the book will help those thinking about electric cars today.

So in my mind, "The Car That Could" should be required reading for anyone who wants to participate in the electric vehicle industry. Copies are hard to find now. But if you are interested in electric cars, find a copy and read it. "The Car That Could" makes the must-read list; "Who Killed the Electric Car?" does not.

I thank you for your prompt response to my request for the several copies
of Christ in You. It is not often that one can get this kind of service
from a company and get the follow up to insure my satisifaction.

This book was recommended to me by my best friend who I have the deepest of Spiritual conversations with so I got it ASAP. It is a remarkable book written from the most unique perspective, from one who has passed on!! I found the book rather compelling and though I do not fully agree with all said in it, that which I do agree with I loved. The narrator speaks of such potential to those in Christ and who seek to express this relationship. I loved the simplicity spoken of in Truly trusting GOD, of waking up dispelling the thoughts of the world and flesh and to rise to the thoughts of GOD. Thoughts of love,hope,faith,trust not bowing to the shadow world but to ascend to heaven and GOD's desires. Thoughts are real and become our reality, so think like GOD.
I also must comment that the book continually mentions CHRIST is the only way. Many have taken the wonderful concepts but left out that Jesus is the door to this incredible life. I encourage you to reread this gem of a book and see this Truth and the Life that is open and waiting for all those in Christ..
This book is quite deep and yet simple, it really challenges you to examine what do you really believe. It gives examples of what mind set to pursue and how..Our narrator though on the other side of the viel discusses his/her own growth in Spirit and how we must understand the Spiritual laws and plane are the Only reality. That GOD's Word is the only Truth and that what we see here is shadowey and with Faith the whole landscape before our eyes can be obliterated!! Read this book with the Holy Spirit as your guide and you will be thoroughly encouraged to be an Ambassador for Christ to your fellow siblings of GOD...JB

This is the most divine book of truth I have ever read. It is both concise and expansive in one. The Bible is referenced throughout which grounds the book, but it also helps me read the Bible in a beautiful new light. This is a very loving and caring book which gives us in essence all we need to know.

This little book is a gem. Very inspirational and unique in its approach. The title may be "Christ In You" but it is more about the Divine (therefore about Christ if you are Christian, as am I) and the way it permeates everything. God did not create the Universe and leave, as I read in a word document I recently received from a friend, but He is in everything and everyone.

You will never regret purchasing and reading this book.

Another one of these books that help you clarify your mind. The Truth of Life is expressed clearly here, allowing for changes in your life, if you study this teaching deeply and apply it with intent. The other ones that come to mind are, the Impersonal Life, the door of everything, God I Am, the course in miracles, and of course, the Tao Te Ching. The main thing is to be ready for all this, then one blooms naturally, as a flower. It's the only way it happens. One cannot awaken oneself, this being a movement of the ego. One has to become an invitation for the One to take over. These books helps one learn to become an invitation; they save us time by helping us be ready. Blessing on your way.

I just got this game from Amazon less than a month ago to use for exercise and to stay out of the Texas heat. It is great! You get to choose your song, the level of difficulty, and mode of dance you want to do. There are songs by Jeremy Camp, Toby Mac, Pillar, Day of Fire, Superchick, Zoegirl, Red, Relient K and more... all recent songs, with a great beat. I've played it almost every day since it arrived and I always work up a sweat and yet it is so much fun I want to keep playing. The pad moves around quite a bit on carpet so you have to re-adjust it between songs. It comes with sticky pads if you want to put it on a hard surface to keep it from slipping but they don't work on the carpet. I installed it on my iMac with the 10.5 Leopard operating system. It doesn't say it is compatible with this but I made it work anyways. Here is what you need to do if you get it and have trouble with the install. When I put in the disc to install it said I didn't have the previous game version and that it would create a folder for me. It put the folder called "Dance Praise" on my desktop. It then said I could install the game, but it kept giving me an error message. So I dragged the "Dance Praise" folder from my desktop to my applications folder and then tried to install it and it loaded right away. I haven't tried it on a PC but it only says it is compatible with XP not Vista so keep that in mind.

they need to make this game for the consoles! (PS2, PS3, XBox, Wii, etc etc) Who the heck wants to dance to their tiny computer screen? It is great fun, I would so much rather my kids play this than Disney Dance Revolution (much better songs with a much better message), but I do not like having to hook it up to the computer. They are missing a huge opportunity, let's hope they get on the ball!

I ordered this for my daughter's 13th birthday. She enjoys the Dance Dance Revolution game at the video arcade, and I hoped this would be close to being as much fun for her. It is! I'm so delighted that the pad works well with the arrows and is sensitive enough to register her dance moves. She has already enjoyed many hours of dancing. I don't count it towards her "computer time" since it's such terrific exercise. What I love about this game is the terrific Christian music. Many of her favorite artists sing the background music, and there's no lyrics that make me wince. (Unlike Dance Dance Revolution songs!) My 9 year old son is also enjoying the Beginner level. The levels seem appropriately difficult, when compared to how my children do on the Dance Dance Revolution game at the arcade. I'm a bit astonished that this game works as well as it does, for such a reasonable price. What a bargain!

What a blast! Lots of Christian songs with the words and five difficulty levels. It includes a game and an option for tracking calories or time for exercising. It can have multiple users who can each create their own favorites playlist.
I have found it easiest to hit the down arrow with a flat foot rather than just tapping it with my toes.

Not quite as much fun as I thought, but that could just be me. There were too many options and I just wanted to play and go. Would have been nice if the music could have just been played on its own instead of always having to have the game load. Be careful when you open the package as the chemicals used on the mat made my head spin. The smell was awful, I had to leave it outside for a couple of days for the smell to go, not sure how healthy that smell is but it gave me a very bad headache. Even now I have to shut the mat away in a cupboard as I can still smell the chemical faintly .... I think the company should look at that aspect of it especially if children are in the house.
Having said all that, the game is fun and worth getting. Maybe a second hand one where the smell has already gone!

This is a cute book and has personality in it for journaling.

This perpetual calendar without days of the week written on it is a great idea and in true Susan Branch fashion!

Susan Branch's wonderful artwork and stories that are throughout this perpetual calendar/journal always brings a smile. She comes from a large family, and shares creative and thoughtful ideas for entertaining, celebrations, and holidays that I find to be an inspiration. The binding allows it to lay flat, the paper used takes ink nicely, and the dated spaces are generous. Even after making good use of this same book for so long, I've never grown tired of it, and look forward to starting a new one each year. With the purchase of this one for 2007, I now have a row on my bookshelf dating to 1997!

This is the greatest, most beautiful book, calendar! I am going to be giving one of these to everyone for gifts! This book can brighten your day every time you open it, with the beautiful drawings and sayings. You will not be disapointed.

I just discovered Susan Branch's stickers/books/stencils/stamps/etc. I ordered this book for next year, and want to get one for my sister. It's so cute, and there are lots of Susan's drawings and watercolored leaves, flowers, and hearts...I can't wait to start using it. Couldn't find this in the bookstores anymore, so I ordered it from Amazon and got it within 3 days.