J Books

I met David Mullen several years ago in his Merrill Lynch office in south Denver. A colleague and I visited with David for a couple of hours and enjoyed lunch and a enlightening conversation about Mullin's views and support strategies he was implementing for and with the financial advisors under his charge. I smiled as I read through this book hearing many of the same practices and methodologies he shared with me then. This book is about proven system. Mullen has helped hundreds of financial advisors become successful and achieve the pinnacles of their careers.

Anyone who is new to the financial services business, or is thinking about switching to a career in financial services would do well to read David J. Mullen Jr.'s very helpful handbook on how to become a top producer in a million-dollar financial services practice. As a former regional manager with Merrill Lynch, Mullen gained experience working with several top producers and summarized what he learned from them in this book. As a managing director at Merrill Lynch, Mullen hired and trained more than 500 financial advisers.

Mullen cuts to the heart of the matter by spelling out in detail what needs to be done every business day to achieve success. On top of the list are self-discipline and clarity of vision. After providing an overview in chapter one, Mullen takes the reader step by step along the path of developing a million-dollar practice. Most of the advice is very specific - how many qualified prospects you should keep, how much in new assets you should get under your management each month, and how many appointments you should make for each new week. And, throughout the book, Mullen stresses that there are no shortcuts in the road to success but there are clear right steps to take and each step must be taken.

Besides being very specific, the author also takes a global, comprehensive approach when covering such broad topics as sales, prospecting, marketing, and time management. The broader looks produces his system that offers "how to" advice on such things as getting the appointment, converting prospects to customers, balancing current customers with prospects, building relationships, retaining customers, using niche marketing to your benefit, increasing the services each customers depends upon you for, and attracting millionaire clients.

Mullen also provides sample letters and model scripts that are proven templates to success. The sample letters and scripts are why many of my friends are keeping Mullen's book on their desktops to be referred to often. Especially useful for repeated reference is the his15 Market Action Plans. The templates alone provide reason to buy this book but the real benefits are those gained from paying attention to the advice of a man who has succeeded and wants you to succeed also.

By Darin Manis
CEO and Founder
RJ & Makay
www.rjandmakay.com

I recently obtained my series 7 and series 66 licenses, along with all the insurance lines! After completing my studying and passing all the tests, I had no idea as of what to do next. This book gives you detailed, step by step processes that will make you accountable to yourself. This is the best road map I have seen for financial advisor type professionals. Follow this book, be successful!

This is a very good, practical guide, on how to become a million dollar producer. The book is straightforward and full of practical information that anyone can immediately put to use.

The author is a former regional manager at Merrill Lynch and refined his system over many years of working with top producers at the firm. New advisors and those looking for a significant jump in productivity would be well advised to adopt the book as their business plan.

I use the book and have worked with draft copies of the materials for two years and have seen a significant lift in my productivity, client satisfaction and my own professional satisfaction.

The book has info on how to structure your practice, what activities matter, managing investments, niche marketing, working with your assistant and much more.

This is a great companion to Nick Murray's classic book "The New Financial Advisor"

As I begin my own financial services practice I find this book to be very helpful in two areas.

1. The author gets at motivation first. We need to ask the WHY of what we are doing. We need to answer that question in our own lives if we are to be successful. Set goals and then work to achieve those goals. It begins with the reasons we are in this business.

2. Practical steps. The author takes the reader through very practical steps of time management, and even lays out some very basic marketing plans and ideas.

This is a marked up book that will be a constant reference for me.

Just recently licensed, I was searching for a book to help me get started, since I will be working as an independent financial adviser. Ordered this book because of the high reviews and I have to say this book did not let me down. It was better than I expected. This book breaks down exactly what you need to do, step by step, to grow a million dollar practice. My favorite chapters were the first (Overview) and the third (The numbers you need to succeed).

The Overview basically tells you what to expect, explaining that as a new adviser 70% of a 10 hour day should be spent on marketing. Also provides a break down for your weekly marketing goals, time commitment, and target markets.

The Numbers chapter breaks down how many appointments you must set weekly, how much assets you must get under management on a monthly basis, the minimum qualified prospects to keep, and a specific road map to growing your business to a million dollars.

The book also contains marking plans, scrips to help you get started and much more. This is a great book for any new adviser that is serious about growing their business to a million dollar practice!

I was getting to know a song by Charles Trenet, one about a rained-out fairground populated by semi-human monsters, and it flashed on me that it reminded me of one of the Moomintroll stories that had made a fine, somewhat creepy, impression in childhood. Turned out I was remembering "The Hemulen Who Loved Silence" from "Tales from Moomin Valley". That story, proved to have indeed featured a rained-out fairground -- well, not just rained out but spectacularly destroyed by flooding, something that happens frequently in Tove Jansson's books. that story proved to be just as great as I'd remembered, and maybe better as it had psychological insight and satirical wit that I suspect I didn't entirely grasp as a kid. I soon found myself reading one Moomin book after another.

They all have wickedly funny moments, they're all fanciful, they're all subtle in some way. But some of them are really aimed at kids and, despite their considerable charms, can wear thin at times.

Moominpappa at Sea is a really great one for the adult reader. Yes, it has all the fancy and fun of a children's book, but....good lord! it is wonderfully complex. very funny, psychologically perceptive, at times very creepy. Where, say, Moominvalley Midwinter is a series of loosely connected episodes, everything in Moominpappa at Sea fits together very cleverly, from the first sentence to the last.

the plot hinges on Moominpappa's vain, poignant quest to have his family feel like they still need him. Moomintroll on the other hand is making some kind of adolescent transition, getting away from the family, bonding in the dark on the beach with a strange creature.

Jansson is one of the only authors I've ever read, for either child or adult, who can so deftly put her fingers on life as we experience it - the mood shifts, the disappointments and inner worlds and longings, the quirks and kindnesses, the tangible atmosphere of the seasons and the weather and the seaside... by God, she's got it, and with a few flicks of the pen, she can realize them fully and make us feel them too (even when her protagonists are fictional, round little "Moomintrolls" off for a month on a mysterious windswept lighthouse island.) Astonishing. A book to read and reread by anyone in grade 4 and up, especially in August and September (though anytime will do.)

My parents used to read the Moominbooks when to us when we were young, and they made a lasting impression on me. For me, Moominpappa at Sea was probably my favourite, along with Comet in Moominland.

Given that the books were originally written in Finnish the translator has done a fantastic job to make the stories incredibly readable and finely nuanced in English. It's possible that the books appealed to us kids so much because they come out of a European culture quite distinctly different from most of the English and American stories we were used to.

The chapters are the right length to read aloud one at a time to kids. (Good for bedtime stories in the summer holidays, I seem to recall!)

I was fortunate enough a couple of years ago to take a ferry across the Gulf of Finland from Stockholm in Sweden to Turku in Finland, and the little rocky islands in the Gulf are almost exactly as I imagined them from the book...

The good news is you don't have to be a child to be enchanted by the Moomins. The bad news (for me) is missing out on these delightful stories when a child. I always try to begin the Moomin tales in the middle of the day because I know I won't stop until the end of the story.

Moominpappa decides they all need an adventure, and he is most desirous of "taking care" of everyone so Moominmamma can rest and all can be safe and protected. They set sail on an evening in late August to a small island in the Gulf of Finland planning to live in a wonderful lighthouse. The island is strange, bleak and barren. The lighthouse appears abandoned and is locked. The Moomin family consisting of Mamma, Papa, little son Troll, and Little My all go about practical tasks of settling in, first a search to locate a key. The living quarters in the lighthouse are at the very top only to be reached by a rickety spiral staircase. Much to Pappa's dismay, the light is out, and he cannot make it work. The fall storms begin (Pappa never explains why he didn't begin his adventure in the spring) and the life on the island becomes terrifying as well as bleak.

Though the Moomins get angry at one another, they are unfailingly polite and cooperative with the exception of Little My who is a cheerful, cynical pragmatist. Mamma & Pappa are very permissive parents, but always interested in what Troll and Little My are thinking and doing. The author very gently shows how perhaps there is a downside to sleeping and eating when you want, sleeping where your fancy takes you, and going on any adventure that occurs to you. There is delightful comedy where the Moomins throw a birthday party for The Fisherman, and he discovers all his "presents" belonged to him in the first place.

Come, enter the world of the Moomins! You might want to stay!

I first discovered this book at the age of about 12 or 13, already older than the average moomin reader, but having read most of the others. It was obvious that this was no ordinary moomin book, and neither was it strictly a children's book. In fact it is a masterly observation of family dynamics, mid life crises and the human condition, but mixed with a mysterious and fantastic magic that leads to spine tingling excitement and making one question how we know what is real.

Every psychology student has something to analyse in every character, and anyone who ever had a moment of doubt about the meaning of their life has something to ponder. What father with a teenage family would not relate to Moominpappa's melancholy, feeling that his life is without purpose now his family appear to be independent, his urge to be needed, to be able to protect them? What homesick traveller could not understand Moominmamma's longing for her garden, (and its magical transformation which you will have to read for yourselves). The description of her homesickness brings tears to the eyes. And what put-upon mother could not identify with her delight in being able to disappear from her family just long enough to stop them taking her for granted? The glimpses of the fond, but no longer passionate relationship between Moominmamma and Moominpappa, and Moominmamma's endless patience for Pappa's foibles, their need for their own roles, and his inability to understand her own needs says more about the maried state than plenty of far more learned texts. We will all be able to identify the same dynamics in our own families and relationships.

Meanwhile Moomintroll's adolescent emotional awakening must bring nostalgic memories of first love to we adult readers, but must surely mystify the average 8 year old. Younger children do not usually have a developed enough sense of other people's individuality to understand the complexities of what is driving the Moomin family to their peculiar dispersal.

The allegory of the frozen Groke could represent so much - I feel a thesis coming on - but I think represents how people get into a vicious cycle;cut off emotionally because no one interacts with them, and becoming ever more reclusive and antisocialin a vicious cycle. She makes us think about how we subconciously excuse ourselves for avoiding the lonely, scared, mentally ill, etc among us, for fear we may be "tainted" them.

Although I'm sure children will enjoy it at one level I recommend it highly to everyone, particularly if you are in a life crisis. I have lent it to nearly all my close friends and no one has yet not enjoyed it thoroughly.

Anyone who enjoyed this book should also enjoy Moominvalley in November with a similar selection of odd characters who we will all recognize among our own aquaintance.

Used to listen to this on tape and wanted to replace it with cd so I could listen to it in the car. If you want to get a taste of life in 1660's London, this is it. The written diaries are also fascinating but fairly hard to read, so Kenneth Branagh helps us out here. Anyone interested in English history will be very pleased with this diary. If you don't yet know who Pepys is then, for sure, you need to buy this. I've listened to it at least twice over the years and alway hear something new with each listening. Highly recommended!

I chose to listen to this book because I felt I "should" be better acquainted with what can arguably be called the most famous diary in history. I looked upon it as a chore that would improve my mind.

I may have, indeed, improved my mind but it turned out to be no chore! What an absolute delight. I've read many historical novels that weren't half as exciting, funny and fascinating as this book. I kept having to remind myself that this man REALLY lived through all these things -- the plague, the great London fire, the machinations of the court.

Plus, his willingness to expose in frank (and sometimes bawdy) detail his personal life, health, sexual dalliances, etc., brought *him* as well as his times vividly to life.

I doubt if trying to read through the actual diary would be as much fun, but the editors' careful selection of entries culled out the best bits while never losing continuity.

And what more can I add to the praise of Branagh as narrator? The man is a phenomenal talent and shows it in this book. Never over-acting, he manages to convey a perfect tone (for instance, just the hint of a whisper at the more personal parts, as though Pepys was confiding in us).

All in all, this book convinced me that improving my mind doesn't HAVE to be tedious.

Of course it is not the complete Pepy's diary but is wonderful to listen to while on long drives. Kenneth Brannagh as the reader brings life into the English language of yesterday. I wonder if a movie is in the offing.

Samuel Pepys' Pepys' Diary is an outstanding classic which comes to life in audio cd format, narrated by Kenneth Branagh whose background in film and direction lend to a vivid narrative indeed. Pepys' classic has lasted centuries because it records in vivid descriptions the bygone world of 17th-century London life: this vivid written word in turn translates well into audio and brings a rich history to life.

I loved these tapes. I concur with the reviews that they are addictive - better for a long country ride than a harried rush hour. Then let Pepys (Branagh) be your witty and engrossing travel companion.

It obviously helps to be familar with the Restoration to enhance your enjoyment of these diaries; though many with even a general background will still find them entertaining. Highly recommended.

Know this first: I'm a huge fan of all things Disney, especially POTC the ride.

Imagineer Surrell's book is very well-done. This is one of those (along with his earlier work on the Haunted Mansion) that I go to again and again, like watching a favorite movie or listening to a favorite album. Maybe I'll notice on the 50th reading ONE MORE DETAIL I somehow missed...
I especially enjoyed the look at the other parks' version of the ride. Rock on, Jason!

Con: Woulda liked it in HARDCOVER.

Now, as with any OTHER topical subject, some of the info goes out of date the day the book is published, and will continue to "go stale". The 2nd, 3rd, and even talked-about 4th movies are, of course, not included. The much-publicized ride rehabs are not either. This is the same with Jason's earlier Disney's Haunted Mansion book (a good companion piece, by the way). That said, the HM book goes off into a hopeful description of the actually-miserable HM movie, touting it as the best thing since Bela Lugosi. This was written well in advance of the actual public release of the HM movie, I guess, so they were gambling the public would love what turned out to be a huge embarrasment. ( When I need cheering up, I sometimes imagine HM Director Minkoff at what I hope is his new day job, asking people if they want to add a cherry turnover to their order for just 50 cents more ). Okay, here's your soapbox back.

They shouldn't have pushed the HM movie so hard in THAT book.

Not so in THIS book: Because they "got burned" on the HM movie, there's a decidedly less-throat-cramming push for Curse of the Black Pearl, which, of course, in hindsight, they could have laid on thicker, now that the movie has generated some kind of Star-Wars-level cultural shift.

Buy the book. You know you want it.

I know I want more books on CLASSIC Disney attractions, and I only want 'em writ by Jason Surrell. Amen.

I love Disney world and I love love The Pirates Of The Carribbean! Great if you like both!

I really enjoed the first chapter on how the concept translated into the final product of a ride. Amazing how these things come together. The second chapter comparing the ride throughs between the four parks I found a bit frustrating - hard to really picture it unless you're there (for me). I was more interested in the ride portion than the movie chapter myself. Worth the buy (though I bought it used).

My daughter just loves all the background information. She's very happy with it.

As of November, 2006, a newer, updated version of Mr. Surrell's book is now available! Look for the version with the compass rose in the upper right corner of the cover.

Cheers!

Beck

This book (The Naked Capitalist), along with the book "The Bilderburg Group", explains exactly what is going on in Government. The power of the men in the secret groups are dangerous to all Americians, and there are many in our Government at all levels. They are the Bilderburgs, Council of Foreign Relations and Trilaterial Commission, determined to make us a socialist country.

If this book were written by anyone less credible, you'd have to pass it off as conspiracy theory nonsense. But Skousen is anything but a conspiracy theory nut. He is a very well respected scholar. So what makes this book so infuriating is to realize both political parties are being swayed towards collectivism and totalitarianism through the robber-barons' self-percieved notion of good for the world and their "generous" donations to non-profits that promote this communist agenda. Thus, the Naked Capitalist reveals the wealthy elite to be promoters of exactly what would destroy not them, but the vast middle class of America. Ever notice that Karl Marx was fighting against the Bourgesie and not the aristocracy? The Bourgesie is the middle class. The rich want us middle-classers to simply revert to the equitable poverty of socialism while they continue to live luxuriously at our expense. This is a must read.

Dr. Carroll Quigley, favorably cited by then-governor Bill Clinton at his acceptance of the Democratic nomination for president in 1992, penned "Tragedy & Hope" in 1965 after his review of many pages of documents of what he describes as the "power elite." This elite, composed of powerful banking families (Morgan and Rothschild) and uber-rich industrial capitalists (the Rockefellers, Andrew Carnegie) along with the intellectual wells of John Ruskin and billionaire Cecil Rhodes, comprise a well-connected, well-established power axis that is intent on clutching the world's social, political, cultural, and economic powers into their tightly clenched fists. The banking houses, typically referred to as simply the "international bankers," have been the hidden money powers behind the revolutionary movements of the 20th century, including Bolshevik revolution to overthrow the Russian monarchy.

The overarching question of W. Cleon Skousen's "The Naked Capitalist" is a puzzling one: why do the world's largest fortunes, which have amassed their wealth under free market capitalism, support the socialist, fascist, and Communist powers with continuing financial aid? The answer is an unpleasant, but simple, one. These interlocking powers, the Federal Reserve System, treasonous tax-exempt foundations, the Council on Foreign Relations, Fabian socialism as articulated by Ruskin and Rhodes, and the American slide toward socialist economics, are in league to envision the new "Tower of Babel," namely a collectivist World Government, under their jurisdiction and guidance, naturally.

"Naked Capitalist" carries the themes of "None Dare Call It Treason" by John Stormer in that every Communist nation has a glittering, red-inked "MADE IN THE USA" stamp on its blood-soaked land. Coupled with John Ruskin's idea of keeping the wealthy elite in control of the masses, the Anglo-American establishment could shape each nation's political and economic future in its hand, eventually leading to the institution of a global government that all nation-states would recognize.

The power elite controls and manipulates the economic and political life of the United States still today. The Federal Reserve's siphoning off of American wealth through fiat currency, artificial "boom-bust" cycles, and the repayment of massive interest from the U.S. national debt by the American taxpayer is creating an enriched political class able to dominate the masses as easily as a farmer directs and controls his cattle. It matters not who wins the White House or controls Congress. The CFR, Trilateral Commission, and the Bilderbergers, bought both institutions long ago, and they are directly in league with the international bankers.

The most entertaining part of the entire book is Skousen's review of multiple historical instances throughout the 40s, 50s, and 60s where the power elite's exposure was all but inevitable. To paraphrase one commentator, the elites are running naked toward the finish line. The establishment elites are probably having a grand old time chuckling about the "old days" where there was a possibility they might be caught red-handed. Nowadays, they can flaunt themselves in the faces of the sleeping masses and still get away with things. With the advent of the Internet, however, they may not be so lucky these "last days."

I was a down-to-earth skeptic as I approached the claims of not only "The Naked Capitalist," but also many other well-known authors, who appeared to me at first to be a bunch of right-wing cranks (on par with leftist 9/11 "Truthers"). As I have extensively followed current events for the past three years, I concluded that the evidence is too overwhelming to be ignored. World government is in our future, and nothing can divert us from that road. Not even the election of Ron Paul to presidency of the United States would buck us off the path to global socialism, although he may have been able to shield us from the atrocities for just a few more years.

Have you awaken from your slumber yet?

"The Naked Capitalist", first published in 1970, is a review and critique of a much longer book, "Tragedy and Hope", first published in 1965. While the references are inevitably dated, this book contains insights that are essential for understanding our current situation. While I wholeheartedly recommend it, it important to take into account the book's context and point of view.

This book must be understood as an attack from the right on "Tragedy and Hope" -- not the 21st century neocon right, but the old fashioned right that may be best thought of as a libertarian point of view these days. Mr. Skousen's approach is consistent with his conservative religious background (LDS) and his background in law enforcement (FBI and later Salt Lake City Chief of Police). Skousen's academic background is reflected in his exegesis of "Tragedy and Hope".

I thought his defense of J. Edgar Hoover and Joe McCarthy was thought provoking, and not to be dismissed out of hand as most left-leaning people would tend to do. By illustrating the clear link between the Eastern Establishment and Communism, the author perhaps provides a better understanding of the criticism of corporate media as "Liberal". Corporate owned media did at times cover the issue of Communists in government in a way that tended to downplay the extent to which the government, particularly the State Department, was infiltrated by Communists, which could lead a right-wing or even a neutral observer to believe that the fourth estate had Communist sympathies.

But that's only part of the story. The corporate owned media has also had a history of covering up the extent to which Fascism has infested USA finance, corporations and government. One example from the time span that Skousen focused on, but which he failed to mention, is the Fascist plot to overthrow the US government shortly after the start of FDR's first term. Jules Archer's recently re-printed book, The Plot to Seize the White House: The Shocking True Story of the Conspiracy to Overthrow FDR, tells this story persuasively. The earliest incarnation of the HUAC (House Committee on Un-American Activities), the Special Committee on Un-American Activities (1934-1937) actually investigated not only domestic Communist activities, but domestic Fascist activities as well, including the plot just mentioned. Contemporary press coverage of the Congressional hearings and the plot itself was shameful for the most part, particularly the coverage by Time magazine and the New York Times. They covered the story in a way similar to later coverage of UFO and Elvis sightings, poking fun at the very suggestion that such a plot could even exist.

While I am grateful that Skousen wrote this unique review/critique of "Tragedy and Hope", I would urge readers to take "The Naked Capitalist" as a point of departure in their study of the power elite, not the final word. The plutocrats who run things behind the scenes take on many guises, using politicians and movements across the political spectrum to further their malevolent aims. They quite obviously used both Fascism and Communism simultaneously for a time and have moved on to other totalitarian movements, such as neoconservatism and various religious movements. Focusing excessively on these movements and philosophies only serves to distract us from discovering the actual puppet masters.

I must finally express my disappointment with the inclusion of a vitriolic attack by Al Smith on FDR's New Deal policies in an appendix. Al Smith had preceded FDR both as Governor of New York, and as a Democratic presidential nominee. Smith lost the nomination in 1932 to FDR, who, unlike Smith in 1928, went on to win the election. There is the argument that while Smith had maintained his previous progressive beliefs, the Democratic Party under FDR had moved on to Socialist tendencies. (In other words, the Democratic party left him, he didn't leave the party.) However, if Skousen were to choose a disaffected Democrat to criticize the New Deal, he could not have picked a better example of a sellout, a turncoat, and perhaps even a traitor, than Al Smith. Smith was first of all a sore loser, and secondly had by that time become a 100% owned asset of the Eastern plutocrats, the very class that "The Naked Capitalist" rails against. Smith was a prominent member of the Liberty League which sponsored the Fascist plot against FDR I referred to above. I again refer to The Plot to Seize the White House: The Shocking True Story of the Conspiracy to Overthrow FDR for details.

By suggesting that Al Smith was still the brown bowler wearing "Happy Warrior" in 1936 that he had been in the 1920s disingenuous to put it mildly.

A Christian Review of, "The Naked Capitalist" By W. Cleon Skousen


"A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, winks with his eyes, scrapes with his feet, points with his finger, with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord; therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing. There are six things the Lord hates, seven of which are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood. A heart that devices wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and a man who sows discord among brothers." Proverbs 6:12-19 RSV

The above verse if the first thing that came to my mind once I finished reading this fine book. Skousen in "The Naked Capitalist" is really describing the events from 1913 through the 1960's that will someday lead to The New World Order. There have been so many great reviews on this book on Amazon.com that I would encourage the reader to not only read this review but the others as well. Skousen's book is a summary of Dr. Caroll Quigley's (a professor of Bill Clinton, and an insider to the New World Order boys) Book "Tragedy and Hope" in which Quigley being an insider and allowed to review the CFR's (Council On Foreign Relations) documents for two years in which he decided to write a book since he felt that there was no way we could stop this socialist empire now. Here are some of the highlights from this book that stuck out to me:

We were actually making post war plans to World War 2 a whole two years prior to entering the war (this is where we got the United Nations from).

The international bankers financed two conservative candidates to split the vote so Woodrow Wilson would be elected to office. Woodrow Wilson signed into law the Federal Reserve which is actually a private banking system. This took the power of making money away from congress and gave it to a private bank. (Does anyone recall the bible verse that says, "The borrower is slave to the lender.")

The international bankers are in Europe, the United States and setting up shop everywhere. Since they came into power they have set up communist government after communist government because it's easier to work with a dictator and get rich than it is with a free society.

These bankers will usually finance both sides of a war, and have been linked to just about every war since they took power. They also make a lot of profit, and as Skousen points out their oil plants and businesses are conveniently not hurt even though thousands upon thousands may die for their gain.

I enjoyed Skousen's ability to break down the Korean War and show how (with facts that are documented from sources in the back) Communists within the United States working in high positions of power were playing both sides. The plan was for the U.S. to fight for South Korea, oh but wait, we were supposed to lose. When our military was TOO good there were 100,000 Red Chinese waiting for them. Our military was not allowed to take our Chinese supply lines or to go in and take territory. I mean the communists in Washington had it all set up and we were supposed to lose. What right did our military have actually being good.

The CFR (Council On Foreign Relations) is a front group by the international bankers (like the Royal Institute Of International Affairs is in Europe) . This council works for the international bankers and supports socialist causes.

The builderberg group is a small group of elites that meet once a year and plan the direction of the world and it's propaganda for the next year. It is very secretive and if someone finds out your invited your invite is automatically revoked. Group made up of large corporate heads, political leaders, media elite, and the international bankers.

Tax exempt foundations are influencing public policy and directly influencing our schools. They are pushing propaganda and dumbing down our society. These foundations oddly enough are places the big corporate big wigs and international bankers can stash their money and not get taxed.

Bottom Line: I could go on and on.... Read the book it's only about 125 pages, but it is loaded with some of the most important information you could want or know about our government and the New World Order.

This extraordinary book written by Ramesh S. Balsekar focuses the seekers mind even more pointendly, no pun is intended, than the spiritual classic, I Am That. Aptly titled, Pointers reduces the whole of the seekers spiritual quest into a finite, simple and yet expansive conclusion of unification. If the reader is ready and intuitive, by this I mean to imply his/her spirit is ripened to be plucked from its vine, then no other words beyond Ramesh's Pointers will ever be needed. I highly recommend that all seekers read I Am That as a prelude to Pointers if they wish for the fullest experience possible, they will be rewarded for their patience.

After reading POINTERS From NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ and JEAN DUNN three books on NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ Talks ( PRIOR TO CONSCIOUSNESS , SEEDS OF CONSCIOUSNESS , CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE ABSOLUTE ) It answered why the body was born or should it be said " What were you before you were born " .

Three good POINTS in the book - Consciousness is the illusion . Second - You were before Consciousness and third- the problem with concepts. Understanding these three POINTS made Knowledge and Ignorance seem the same. Perhaps the pupose of life is to understand that what is creating the illusion is consciousness itself.

In one of the NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ books there was a simple sentence that was so powerful and went something like this " THE SEARCH FOR REALITY IS THE MOST DANGEROUS OF ALL UNDERTAKINGS FOR IT DESTROYS THE WORLD IN WHICH YOU LIVE"

Thank you.

In Pointers From Nisargadatta Maharaj, devotee Ramesh Balsekar provides further insight into the teachings of what many consider a master of Advaita Vedanta. The teachings are both simple and profound -- and often full of paradox. To "understand" them requires the relinquishment of thought. To "explain" the teachings reduces them to concepts which are inherently false. That is probably why the book it aptly titled "Pointers..." The real truth, according to what Balsekar shares of Nisargadatta's teachings, is "apperceived" directly. And it's based on the deep understanding that there is no individual entity at work...

"The main point in Maharaj's teaching is that in this living-dream of life we are not the dreamed characters, which we think we are, but that we are the dreamer, and it is our mistaken identification with the dreamed character, as a separate independent entity as the 'doer', that causes the illusion of 'bondage'". Pages 202-203

If you have read the classic "I Am That", this is an excellent aid in providing further clarification into our true nature. Enjoy it for all the gifts it brings you.

This book has an amazing feature, which is that it conveys the spirit and presence of Nisargadatta in such a powerful way not even I AM THAT does. The pointers are absolutely clear and straighforward, and they deal with a wide range of cases. No doubt can remain as to the nature of our true self after the reading of this teaching. In a misterious way, Ramesh was able to be the interpreter of the teaching without interfeering with it in this occasion. This teaching (and the way it is presented in this book) is certainly far superior to anything the same Ramesh could have written of its own.

If you are ready this book is all you'll ever need, if not it will certainly plant the seeds of awakening. Not only does Ramesh Balsekar translate the words of Maharaj, but goes on to expand and clarify the wisdom of his Guru as only an enlightened disciple can. This is the perfect follow up for Maharaj's classic, I Am That. But Please don't let your mind be put off by Nisargadatta's gritty approach. Because of the Guru's declining health, this book's tone does sound a bit harsh by ignoring common civilities and going straight to the core of truth. Yet that is exactly what we need to realize.

You site has quality items at reasonable prices, much reasonable than the college bookstore. The items usually come in an adequate amount of time and always in great shape. thanks

This Anatomy and Physiology textbook is AMAZING! It is filled with vast amounts of information that are tremendously useful for a future in medicine. It is one text that you should NOT sell back! The information covered in this text will be used guaranteed everyday in the medical field. Especially wonderful are the clinical application sections. My professor was a cardiologist and he would often mention that his neurologist friends said our neuro-text was extremely detailed, more so than they had in medical school! Also, the chemistry is VERY detailed. I would suggest having a chem. course prior to this material, it will make your understanding in the chem. sections far greater as to how they pertain to the makeup of our being.

My daughter is taking Anatomy & Physiology I in Tennessee. The college bookstore wanted $225 for new and $185 for used. I was able to get this from Amazon before the price went up.... for $121.00 It was delivered by UPS to her house in less than a week.

Even though I live in Canada, the ease of using Amazon has never failed me when I order merchandise for myself, my children or grandchildren in the States. Amazon has never ever let me down. I have dealt with their customer service once....when UPS was delivering it to my daughter's apartment and was letting anybody sign for it and she never got the merchandise. Amazon was more than helpful in rectifying the problem when it was not even their responsibility or their fault.

I encourage all college students and/or parents, to check Amazon before purchasing books through the campus book store. On this particular book, I saved $100.

I have found this book very helpful, it has a ton of useful information on medical conditions, as well as the general A&P information.

After going about six years without reading a traditional anatomy and physiology text, I was surprised at the advanced level that this book has reached, as compared to the texts I read during the first few years of this decade. This book offers numerous resources, from special pathological sections to online excercises. In addition, every chapter offers highly detailed diagrams and little tidbit sections to help students better understand the material. Thus, no matter what type of learner you are, this book will offer a way to learn the text that totally fits your style. For those who learn better by seeing and listening, the online material will be helpful and the diagrams in the book are quite comprehensive. For those who learn better by simply reading the text, this book provides the material in regular paragraphs, charts, and advanced diagrams. Finally, for those who are already familiar with the material, and just need a quick review, the end of each chapter has a comprehensive, but terse summary of the material.

It is axiomic that the role of the firm is to maximise profit; some would say to maximise shareholder value. Profit can be increased by selling goods and services at a premium price that the customer is prepared to pay. However, in a highly competitive environment, prices can be depressed and the company may have to focus on cutting costs whilst maintaining an acceptable level of service and quality.

With the various economic shocks that the world is subjected, one typical and favourite target for cost cutting is reducing the workforce. This short-sighted approach to cost cutting not only causes a lot of human suffering but seldom achieves the intended objective of reducing costs in the long-run. Perry Judy proposes a more progressive approach that focuses on profit improvement. The Profit-Building Process that the author proposes appears to be an effective and workable method for building profit without employing the short-sighted and often self-defeating cost-cutting through cutting people.

I work in the airline industry where people cutting is a favourite strategy employed during lean times. Very often, following the drastic reduction in manning levels, service levels are reduced to such an extent that customers are turned away, further worsening the plight of the airlines concerned. The step-by-step approach of building on-going profit through motivated teams appears to be an excellent strategy for companies to employ when cost-cutting is required.

The book is required reading for all managers tasked with the responsibility to cut costs and build profits in any department.

Perry J. Ludy, a seasoned executive, presents his strategies for building profits and cutting costs in this well conceived book. He provides a team-based, profit-making plan that companies of any size could implement. In this simple, highly effective book, Ludy dispels myths about cutting costs and building profits. He uses examples from his professional experience to show his suggestions in action. We [...] recommend this book to managers and executives who are responsible for cost cutting and profit building.

Perry Ludy's book, Profit Building examines a powerful dichotomy for business in the new millennium. It empowers commerce to make effective choices to achieve profit building by cutting costs without cutting people.

Profit Building is also an imperative to examine conventional business models during periods of economic uncertainity. This book is precise, concise and truly on the cutting edge of contemporary issues in today's economy.

Profit Building is a must read for savvy business management - or those who expect to join the ranks - to "get ahead of the curve" or virtually reinvent the human possibilities.

Reviewed by former Group Publisher CBS.

If you are looking for a way to increase profits in your organization, I strongly recommend that you start by first reading Profit Building - Cutting Costs Without Cutting People. Mr. Ludy takes you step by step though the process of building an on-going profit build team for your organization. We have used it as a blueprint for our company and it has really turned our employees. The book moves fast and I found it to be an easy read.

As one CEO said to me recently, "No one who has a conscience ever wants to lay anyone off." Yet the headlines are filled with announcements that companies are making massive cuts in jobs and employees. Recently, these cuts are even coming in the fastest growing technology industries. If people don't like to fire anyone and people don't like to be fired, why is this happening?

Mr. Ludy argues that faced with missing budgets, the orders come down to spend less. Most people do know how to fire someone, so that option gets plenty of attention. Most people do not know many other ways to cut costs or boost profits in the short term, so the alternatives get little attention.

Our firm did a study more than a decade ago that has been quoted in dozens of books and magazine articles. We found that the stocks of companies which did layoffs usually underperformed the stocks of companies that did not. By the end of four years, the differences were enormous in favor of those who did not do layoffs.

Many people believe that this is because people do layoffs poorly, and many people do. But it also because the effort that goes into the layoffs could be better deployed in activities that increase profits. Usually, the bulk of those who go are the most employable people. They end up working for the competition, or having to be hired back as expensive consultants. How does either alternative help, while you are paying severance benefits as an additional cost?

Mr. Ludy points out, based on his extensive experience, that most executives, managers, and supervisors know little about profit improving.

Much of the recent training in companies has been on how to reduce errors, and that may help cut costs in main processes. That learning is often of little help in secondary processes and in areas where the processes need to be totally replaced, revised, or outsourced. Xerox and Motorola are both famed for their quality processes, and both companies are struggling now to make a profit.

Mr. Ludy has developed a process described in the book that helps to get people focusing on the best opportunities, and following through to implement the opportunites that they select. He also provides lists of items which many companies ignore, to help get the process started.

Although I have not seen this process working in practice, it is similar enough to elements of successful processes I have seen that is has credibility to me.

If you decide to pursue this process, I suggest that you can improve upon it. First, rather than just having one small team working on this, you should try to get as many people working in small teams as possible. The most successful profit-improvement program I ever saw involved over 14,000 people in suggesting ideas. Second, be sure to compare the performance you are achieving in one part of the company with what you are achieving in another part of the company in the same activity. Most large companies get their best ideas from benchmarking to their own best practices. Third, be sure to create an e-intelligence capability to get more information to everyone about how the company is performing. E-Business Intelligence is a book that can help you understand this point better.

The three strengths of Mr. Ludy's process to me are:

1. The emphasis on finding ways to improve profits, without hurting people.

2. Training people about how to improve profits.

3. Eliciting questions to locate opportunities.

In regard to the second point, you may find it helpful to read Dr. Ram Charan's new book as well, What the CEO Wants You to Know. That book focuses on simple business concepts and metaphors to make everyone better able to relate to the issues of the enterprise.

One of the major weaknesses of companies is that leaders are often asked to pursue tasks for which they do not have relevant information, experience, or training. Where else does your company have this issue? In my experience, two areas stand out.

(1) Finding better solutions to repetitive problems.

(2) Choosing directions that will lead to better results, regardless of business conditions.

May you find more intelligent, and more humane, ways to profit!

This book is very intense and detailed. It takes complete concentration to stay with the author. I have not finished it as yet but need to take my time to understand all that is written. Word by word. Sentence by sentence. It is a wonderful awe inspiring book. That is why I bought it even though I am not Jewish. All Christians and non-christians should read and understand what is being taught.

The Prophets is a classic & has been of great benefit to a class I'm taking on the subject.

Heschel is undoubtedly one of the greatest interpreters of Judaism in the 20th century. Philosophically deep and yet profoundly meditative, his poetic prose makes for a genuine spirirtual masterpiece. The book appeals to a Christian as well as the Jewish audience.

A wonderful, two-volume set that has become a standard reference in the field of the "classical," literary, Hebrew prophets, their prophecies, and their personalities. Amos, Hosea, Isaiah (Isa. 1-39), Micah, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, and Second Isaiah (Isa. 40-66) are analyzed with particular care given to their humanity as they encounter God and men in assuming their respective missions.

Heschel describes his focus in writing: "What I have aimed at is an understanding of what it means to think, feel, respond, and act as a prophet (Introduction). For this Jewish rabbi and seminary professor, "the prophet is a person, not a mircrophone. He is endowed with a mission, with the power of a word not his own that accounts for his greatness--but also with temperament, concern, character, and individuality. As there was no resisting the impact of divine inspiration, so at times there was no resisting the vortex of his own temperament. The word of God reverberated in the voice of man" (Introduction). This examination of the prophets' humanity is most compelling throughout the work with the first chapter, "What Manner of Man is the Prophet?," being worth the price of the set to me.

The second volume addresses at least sixteen different aspects of the prophetic experience, among them: "theology and philosophy of pathos," "meaning and mystery of wrath," "sympathy," "ecstasy," "poetry," and "inspiration." An examination of prophets from other cultural contexts is also included.

Highly recommended to all theologically- and philosophically-minded readers who are interested in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the Hebrew prophets from a Jewish perspective.

This is one of the most interesting books I've read in my life. I am particularly interested in the relationship between the sacred and the secular and using one to illuminate the other. Most writers tend to lean too heavily on one and too heavily against the other. While Abraham Heschel is clear in his beliefs, his faith does not prevent him from thinking about the secular world in ways that enhance my understanding of both the sacred and the secular.

While these books (actually a two volume set in one cover) specifically address the Prophets of the Old Testament, Heschel constantly explores the prophet construct through virtually every useful idea in human intellectual history. This is more than a biography of the Prophets, but rather a deep examination of what the concept "prophet" means and how it compares and contrasts with other religious, ethical, spiritual, and humanistic perspectives.

If you view theology and faith through the lens of someone like Christopher Hitchens (whose current 2007 atheist manifesto and sacred attack is a bestseller now), then "The Prophets" is probably a book you wouldn't like because its foundation is folly, fatuous, and infamous. If, however, you can think about the sacred and the secular - like Fitzgerald's genius who can hold opposing ideas in his head simultaneously - you might find this one of the most interesting books you've ever read.

In the same vein of the sacred-secular contrast, the latest books by the late Philip Rieff might also be interesting to you. Check out "Charisma" and "My Life Among the Deathworks."

Rain Song is an enjoyable read. There are dysfunctional family members with quirky habits, and plenty of unusual situations that keep you reading. I enjoyed the story but can't say that it moved me emotionally. I liked the subplot with Monet and Nicole's cousin Grady. I wish this could've been expanded a bit. The aunt with the cough I though surely would get cancer or something the way she was hacking all the time. And the grandmother was charming.

I wish I could've spent more time with Harrison (beyond the e-mails). I would've loved to have gotten to know him better, but when she finally visited him it all happened at the end of the story and a lot was implied. So while I found the storyline fascinating and the search for memories of her mother poignant, it never moved me to tears. Not even the break up with the prior boyfriend. I think it's because Nicole never really grieved. She seemed distant from her own pain. Not very healthy.

I also like more romance in a story, and this one barely touched on the subject. Again, she seemed pretty unemotional about everything. Maybe that was because it was written in the first person POV. I'm not sure. It was a charming story, though, and a perfect beach read type of book. If you want a story that will pull you through an emotional rollercoaster of feelings, this isn't it. But if you like a story with interesting characters and situations that won't bore you to pieces, this is a good read for that.

"Don't miss the adventure." (p. 251)

Rain Song is a story about Nicole Michelin and her search for the missing memories of her mother before tragedy took her from life. Nicole is also searching for understanding about her father's withdrawal from a full life as a physician and medical missionary into the dark world of alcoholism and depression. Although Nicole's life is filled to the brim with loving relationships in the warm Southern town of Mount Olive, North Carolina, there are still empty places in her heart and mind left behind by events that took place a world away.

The world isn't as vast as it used to be though, and a reader's response to Nicole's article on the Pretty Fishy website finds its way into her email box and sets off a series of correspondence that ultimately changes Nicole's life. As she begins to talk with Harrison Michaels via cyberspace, Nicole discovers that there are still those from her early life who can answer the lingering questions from her past. However, the effort to uncover those answers means stepping outside the comfort of her close-knit family and predictable routine. Nurtured and encouraged by a wise and loving grandmother, Nicole is finally able to embark upon her own adventure. What she discovers beyond the familiarity of Mount Olive, North Carolina are the missing pieces of her memory and the beauty that has always lain dormant within her heart.

Alice Wisler tells this story of Rain Song in the slow, deliberate style of Southern tradition. Along the way, you will come to love Nicole's eclectic family and you will cheer her as she makes her very cautious discoveries. I look forward to more beautiful stories from this very talented writer!

Rain Song by Alice J. Wisler makes a delightful weekend read. This appealing narrative takes place in Mount Olive, North Carolina and like so many stories set in the South, is chock full of quirky, charming, characters. You can't help but like grandmother, Ducee, and her wise, yet eccentric, words of advice. Pretty cousin Grable struggles to cope with her fraying marriage and at the same time care for her daughter Monet, a special needs child with behaviors as unusual as her name. Their side story adds level of depth to the already interesting primary story about Nicole Michelin, a school teacher, who avoids airplanes, motorcycles, and all things Japanese. Nicole is given the chance to deal with her demons, and the gift of hope for a different future, when she forges an Internet friendship with Harrison, a man met through her website writings about tropical fish. Wisler's book is a light read with a fresh narrative that will be appreciated most by those who enjoy a story with characters real enough to be a neighbor next door, or your own family members. Rain Song breathes hope into our troubled world.

Nicole is a touching, charming and inspiring character. Included in this description would be her family and hometown, located in North Carolina. This is a book I will hold in my heart and read again.

"Rain Song" chronicles the story of Nicole Michelin, a young woman filled with fear and held motionless by a hole in her heart that longs to be filled. Tragedy entered her life at the tender age of two, leaving blank spots that desperately need to be colored in.

Through what appeared to be chance, Nicole has found a friend in Harrison Michaels via email. He discovers her through her articles posted online at Pretty Fish, a website for lovers of aquatic beauty.

What Nicole soon discovers is that nothing about God's plan is random: from the moment she was taken in by her grandmother, to the quirky Southern family who helped raise her...even to the random email from Harrison...all tie together to heal Nicole of her fear and her questions about the past.

Her biggest fear involves her life of two years in Japan where her parents served as medical missionaries...where she lost her mother and all memories of her life in Japan. Harrison lives in Japan...and he remembers Nicole.

Can she release her fear long enough to ask the questions her heart yearns to have answered? Or will Nicole push Harrison away, leaving the past as a gaping heart hole that nothing but answers can fill?

Alice paints a vivid picture that slowly captivates the reader. That ache inside Nicole will awaken any ache you've had buried inside your heart. That sense of mystery that surrounds many of us--you'll find a kindred soul in Nicole.

And those fears that entangle us and hold us back? Alice's slow, Southern style, filled with Grandma Ducee's Southern Truths, will carefully unwind the burial clothes that enshroud us and set us free.

You simply have to be like Nicole and step out in faith and learn the "Rain Song" of Alice J. Wisler and her cast of beloved characters. I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of Nicole, Harrison, and the entire McCormick/Michelin clan...at least, I'm hoping so.