Works Books

I have great admiration for Yvonne Bornstein for having lived and breathed this horrific criminal act. The people who committed this crime should be shot, drawn and quartered! No-body should have to live through this kind of horrendous ordeal.
This book has been marvellously written and should be listed on the New York bestseller list.
I read via Google that Ms Bornstein is currently negotiating her life rights with a major Hollywood studio.
Out of something bad comes something good.
I truly hope that Yvonne succeeds in her venture, she really deserves it.

A Fantastic book. I highly recommend that you read it. It was interesting and I learnt a lot.

Monica.

In a popular Hollywood movie, one of the characters, playing a tough businessman who fancied himself a master of negotiating, expressed the opinion that in a business deal, there is no difference between a gun and a fountain pen. To believe that this is true is to believe that the use of force or violence to obtain monetary reward is equivalent to using artful negotiation, rational persuasion, or skillful selling. Coercion then becomes just another technique for the acquisition of wealth, and individuals in the business community who refrain from using it are to be viewed as "unrealistic" or even weak-minded. Strength of character therefore has its origins in a willingness to intimidate physically other people in order to bring about a desired end. Real business involves "doing whatever it takes" to increase wealth, even if this means causing extreme pain or even death.

There are many who believe in this equivalence, but thankfully there are many who do not. As the events of her life and skill in entrepreneurship indicate, the author of this book is a member of the latter category, and in this book has written an engaging (and terrifying) story of how she and her business partner/husband were forced to deal with some individuals of the former category. Kidnapped for eleven days, where they were beaten and intimidated by a collection of moronic and confused thugs, who could not distinguish the acquisition of wealth from its plundering, and who sadistically enjoyed the pain they gave their captives, the couple nevertheless got away with their lives, with the assistance of a unexpected collaboration between East and West.

For those, such as this reviewer, who are extremely skeptical of the competence of governmental security personnel, and of their abilities to cooperate constructively with foreign governments, this story will alleviate some of this skepticism (although the author describes the FBI as being reluctant to get involved). There are not too many things that are more frightening than the prospect of being caught in a foreign country where the laws and sense of justice are different, and where envy towards Westerners is predominant. And if one does find oneself in such a situation and does survive it, the natural thing to do it seems would be to obliterate it from memory. Reminders of it would be draining, both emotionally and intellectually, and would serve no useful purpose in everyday living.

The author though has chosen to tell her story, and has written one that is fast moving but still gives insight into her moods as well as her captors. It focuses of course on the concrete details of her captivity, but also motivates the reader to consider why her captors behaved as they did, and whether the wealth that they expected to obtain was really worth the energy they expended to get it. It is always perplexing to see a group of individuals conniving, planning, and engaging in violent acts, and expending vast amounts of energy just to obtain by relative standards a paltry sum of money. Considerably less energy is needed to obtain the same sum by legal and creative means, but for some reason these types of individuals cannot see this. The answer must be that they love the intimidation and sense of power that violence gives them. The neurons in their brains are over trained by sadism, polluted with cynicism, and allow no expression of compassion or empathy. The money they obtain is spent in no time flat, on fruitless physical indulgences or one meaningless card game after another. They idolize and prop each other up, with their handshakes and backslaps, and any real sense of achievement is completely alien to them. Taking is always better then earning. They unite under the creed that "only suckers work."

Interestingly, when the author discusses her emotional state with respect to her captors, she mentions the "Stockholm syndrome." This is supposed to be a kind of brainwashing that causes the captive to express sympathy for or even admiration for the captor. On the surface this does not seem too surprising, since when in a situation of dependence one's emotional processes are completely out of equilibrium, with a consequent loss of self-esteem. It is difficult to find definitive research on the reality of the Stockholm syndrome, due no doubt to low occurrence of situations like that of the author, and lack of explicit documentation of the emotional states of the captives, before and after their confinement. Such a syndrome could explain the reason why so many abused wives tend to remain emotionally attached to their abusive husbands.

At the end of the book, the author describes her homecoming and the skepticism that she and her husband encountered by some members of the press, who did not believe her story. Their business in shambles, they did pick up and move on, although the author describes her life as being very stressful for sometime after the kidnapping. And what happened to their captors? "Whereabouts unknown" says the author. Unfortunately these creeps are still wandering around, and their behaviors have been emulated on a grander scale in the form of the Russian mob, part of which is active in the United States.

Yvonne Borstein and her husband Danny were kidnapped by a band of Russian gangsters and ex-KGB villians in early 1991. They were tortured physically and emotionally for a 1.6 billion dollar random (which was orders of magnitude above the liquid assets of the heavily-mortgaged Australian business-couple).

Was Yvonne an innocent tourist kidnapped in Russia? No. A do-gooder helping revive post-Iron Curtain Russia? Well, no. How about a profiteer involved with shady business deals on Russia's black market? Yep, that's it. In hindsight, Yvonne admits that she and Danny were dazzled by wealth, heavily over-mortgaged on their house, gambling by paying out millions in anticipation of high (but dubiously legal) returns, and they were unwilling to wake up to the many signs of trouble in their Russo-Australian import/export business. As a reader, I appreciated her candor and lack of excuses or assignment of blame.

Even shady entrepreneurs in economically ravaged countries don't deserve to be tortured for an insanely high ransom. Yvonne's book is the story of her entire life, from her childhood to her early troubled relationships before meeting husband Danny. Yvonne lays out the events which unraveled and lead south to the kidnapping. In captivity, Yvonne and Danny leveraged one another's strengths, plotting to get messages out to the world and to present the right "face" to their kidnappers. The couple only survived because of their union. When Yvonne was sexually assaulted, she knew she had to hide it during the captivity, to prevent her husband from violently assaulting their tormentors.

Bornstein bills her memoir as evidence of al-Qaeda alive and well in early 1990's Russia. This is certainly a good advertisement in the post-9/11 world, but it is a shaky claim at best. Sure, there is evidence of al-Qaeda, but don't pick this up expecting some all-conclusive smoking gun expose on Afghan terrorism.

Yvonne is a survivor and as inspiration to women everywhere. She dug up a lot of information to provide context to her own personal (and painful) narrative. Thanks for sharing your story, Ms. Bornstein!

This is a true story of "man's inhumanity to man" and a wake up call for those living in the television provided security of their living rooms. One cannot accuse Yvonne of of any zest for growing roots into the sofa, au contraire. However, the dangers she encounters go far beyond anything she ever imagined. Russia's organized crime proves too tough, too well organized, and too cruel, when Yvonne and her former husband, Danny Wienstock, are kidnapped by predatory thugs. This terrifying account of the torture and dramatic rescue is recounted in vivid detail Bornstein's suspenseful tale, ELEVEN DAYS OF HELL.


Yvonne's testimony drives home the fact that the events taking place in Russia affect everyone ... it's a small world we live in today. This is a read that tears at the nerves; Bornstein paints a lucid picture of the events of her and her husband's captivity in the town of Noginsk, involving horrible mental and physical abuses heaped on them. Fortunately, back at the ranch some good guys still work at the CIA, and they manage to unite forces with Russian and Australian authorities. The two stories are entwined in a way that builds tension nicely to a thrilling rescue, yet this is not the end. Yvonne must now grapple with the internal demons unleashed by her tormentors. The made for TV drama may be over, but, in the aftermath, her real battle has only just begun.

For anyone who wishes a peak into the horrors and mind set created by events that few of us have or will ever experience, this book is a must read. That said, those who have already experienced "man's inhumanity to man" may have a difficult time getting through the disturbing sequence of events. On the other hand, other victims of violence may be reasssured that justice does exist in the world, and it is sometimes served to the thugs who deserve it.

The visual wit of Ms. Sprecher and Ms. O'Brien is keen. Their brilliant portraits of well-known duos captures the essence of their fame with humor and charm. And as shown with the depiction of Michael Jackson "Then and Now" with an occasional (hilarious) nasty, um, bite, too.

I would never have believed it could be done. That humble pairs could actually take on distinct and identifiable human personalities. The secret is just as much in the first class photography as the clever positioning. Well worth the tenner as a present or just something fun for the coffee table.

Sprecher & O'Brien are horticulturally hilarious to the core. FAMOUS PAIRS is even funnier on the second read and funnier still on the third. It's a great buy for a pair of fivers!

This is a very funny book. The visual wit startles, like a jack-in-the box to a two year old. My mother in law would have bought copies by the dozen as stocking presents. She gave the best stocking presents. Buy this book as a stocking present and make someone laugh.

This book is a REALLY creative way to view the common, but curvy pair. I have to admit that I didn't get EVERY SINGLE reference, but I was able to relate to most of the vignettes and each invoked a smile if not an all-out belly laugh.
More of this kind of book.

Having grown weary reading about all we have done wrong (parenting), I was hesitant to read another parenting book. This book, however, was a breath of fresh air as I was reminded again of God's grace in 'parenting' me (even now). I hope that I will be able to extend His grace while continuing to parent my 'not yet adult' teens and 20-somethings.

I loved this book- a refreshing and biblical way to approach parenting. I really appreciate the way Tim Kimmel points out all the ways God handles us with infinite grace as our heavenly Father and ways to reflect that to our children as well. Highly recommended.

I found this book very helpful to me in raising children to love the God who cares for them unconditionally. This book proposes an approach to parenting that is loving in the same way God loves us--with grace. I highly recommend it.

This book is excellent. It is the how-to book on raising your kids as Christians. It is the detail book with his companion book, How to raise kids for true greatness being the big picture. I recommend them both.

In preparation for the arrival of my first child in 1998, I read many Evangelical parenting books. These books sought to encourage new moms like me with moving discussions of the importance of our role. These books also provided practical discipline strategies. But, as a first-time mom, I needed more than ennobling rhetoric and discipline techniques. I sought a comprehensive, Biblically-based framework for parenting that would help me to structure and evaluate my day-to-day interactions with my child. I couldn't find anything that met my needs in any of the many books that I read. Dr. Kimmel's book provides the framework I've been searching for and is an outstanding addition to the Evangelical parenting literature.

I especially appreciated the author's use of Scripture to develop his framework, particularly his analyses of Jesus' interactions with children. Matthew 18:5-6 and 10, for example, provide motivation for Dr. Kimmel's point that children feel significant when they know they have their parents' attention. Mark 9:36-37 underlies Kimmel's argument that children feel secure when they receive affection.

My only regret is that I wasn't aware of this book when it first came out! My only criticism of the book is that it doesn't contain enough practical application material.

This is a great book! Service from seller was wonderful, and book was in perfect condition as stated by seller. Would buy again from this seller.

Reading this made my son and me want to build, build, build. At the same time, the book achieves something else: the way people make their homes shows something very intimate and moving. This collection of photographs, drawings and stories shows how closely related the art of building, the art of art and the art of living are. This is one of the rare occasions where I would like to thank the authors.

followed by several days flipping through again and again, searching for my favorites...beautiful pictures. I could have done with more "on the road" pics and less (what I would refer to as) "normal" houses...I can see those kinds when I look out the window...but that's just a personal preference....I wish he'd take all the extra stuff he said he had and put it on a website or publish another book. I'd buy it!

this book is even better then the other books by Lloyd Kahn, and i didnt think that was possible. The photographs are outstanding, the text interesting, informative, and captures thoughts, people, homes and places of times past, present and some that look futuristic! This book is for anyone who has a passion for architecture, and culture. a great coffee table book.

MUST HAVE FOR ALL couchpotatoe MALES, and anyone who has dreams! This is such a fantastic book: inspiring and creative and so marvelous to see so many passionate people out their DOING THEIR THING! Get up from your desktops, ladies and gentlemen, stop the online dating circus and do something satisfying: BUILD YOUR OWN SHELTER. Lord knows I want to after pouring through every inch of every page and these great photos and life stories. Thanks, Mr. Lloyd!

Very interesting concept, well written, but very repetitive - the book could have been a lot shorter.

I've bought books, and I've bought books, but I haven't had one like this one. It's great. Everything I read in it I can understand and the lightbulb goes on. I'm using it now to enhance my own web storefront, Zeke's Dragon Nest, at [...] to sell my books. Thank you for making this book available.

'Letting Go' is a wonderful guide for creating web content. It gives concrete strategies for making the words you haven't let go of truly work for your site. It teaches how to put your users first and structure and write content that will smoothly get them where they want to be and happily engage when they arrive. This book helps you to understand the logic of usability and in turn free up your creativity for making effective navigation and messaging.

I recommended this to a friend of mine who is a VP of a web development company and he turned around and sent me a link to their recommendation that ALL their clients read 'Letting Go'.

Letting Go of the Words is very clear, easy to read, well organized, and thorough. It offers numerous examples of what works and what doesn't, and it explains why. The author covers best practices for web content in a manner that is easy to understand and implement.

While the title of the book makes it seem like it only discusses "words," it actually covers much more than that. The real focus is on making your site more user-friendly. I found discussions of links, illustrations, active and passive space, and general style recommendations to be extremely useful.

I think this book would be just as useful for someone who is designing pages as someone who is just writing content. Much of the book goes over design best practices that would be helpful to programmers and designers.

Overall an excellent resource. Highly recommended.

"Letting Go of the Words" is a book that I recommend to all of my new web content authors. It's easy to understand language and visual examples really make this book a great read. I really appreciated the attention to accessibility and usability as well as they are becoming fundamental to good web design.

The first time I read this book, I sat on the floor of Barns and Nobles and giggled through the whole thing. It's funny, touching, and a must read for dog lovers - especially if you've had a rough day and need a little help appreciating the simple things. Plus, it makes a great gift, and all of the author's proceeds go to benefit Canine Companions for Independence.

This book is one of the sweetest animal stories I have ever read. I recommend it to all animal lovers, grade school teachers, moms & dads. It shows the tender side of Dean Koontz and brings out the same in all of us. I couldn't stop laughing!

I read this book so often it's not even funny, and I am an adult. It captures the personality of a Golden Retriever so well! And if you don't love Goldens then you need to re-evaluate your priorities... :) This book would be good for children, I plan on reading it to my children in the future. It just captures how the little things matter, and all it takes is simple pleasures to make your life complete. You can take good advice out of some parts of it, others are just there for pure amusement.

This book is delightful; it is light hearted, and reminds us(people) to not be so weighed down by pressures and responsibilities we forget to take joy is the simple things.

These are beautiful thoughts and beautiful photographs of a very astute canine author! Well worth the time and money invested!

(An earlier review may also appear after trying to merge and update an older acct with a new acct.) ...I picked this volume up at TechEd 2001. It maintains its relevancy four years later. The competition between related books brought the race down to "McGraw-Hill's Encyclopedia of Networking & Telecommunications" winning by one length over the "Microsoft Encyclopedia of Networking".
Tom Sheldon provided the most well-grounded and well-rounded information to fulfill the title of an "encyclopedia of networking" compared to Mitch Tulloch's very good but more Microsofted (I think microsoft as a verb can now come into play) approach to the subject and its fields.
Sheldon's book contains a greater variety of entries and their corresponding information (i.e. terms/acronyms like "NSA" & "PKI") instead of a namebrand focused presentation. I would like to see a "Special Characters" index category like Tulloch's book has, but this is not as necessary when using the search capability of the book's CD edition (which is included and loaded with hyperlinks to outside information sources).
I highly recommend Tom Sheldon's book. It's user-friendly layout and design are easy on the eyes, and I'm glad to have it at my desk (when I'm able to return it there after tracking down who last borrowed it).

I stumbled accross the old 2nd edition in our library and a day later I was in awe of Mr Sheldons fantatistic book. Unlike most networking books their is no waffle in this one. His style of writing disects networking information into logical digestible chunks. The second edition can be downloaded from his site but I recommend you getting your hands on the latest edition if possile because it is more upto date and has lots of new additions. This book is a one stop shop for everything you need to know about networking and a priceless resource for any networking student.

Firstly I'd like to say...Thanks Tom, for helping to keep me in a job! Up until recently I worked as a Network Administrator in Sydney and believe me, your books saved my bacon on more than a few occasions! I first received the electronic edition of the Encyclopedia of Networking whilst studying Computer Technology and e-business in Sydney. The encyclopedia was included as part of the overall course and many references were made in the college's learning guides to certain chapters when more detailed information was necessary on a particular topic. I'm currently involved in the area of Multimedia and Telecommunications and recently obtained a copy of the latest edition, The Encyclopedia of Networking and Telecommunications and am amazed at how much extra and updated information has been included. I keep the book close by at all times and find myself referring to it quite regularly. I could now honestly say that it's become my IT bible! It covers all aspects of networking, the Internet, Electronic Communication, topologies, protocols, security and various configurations in absolute and thorough detail. The encyclopedia also comes with a CD that can be loaded onto your computer as a PDF file and the search facility works brilliantly. I must say that if anyone is involved in, or wants to know anything about Networking and Telecommunications this book is an absolute must! Personally, I can't see how I could do my job without it. Thanks a million Tom! ...John Botica

Tom Sheldon can capture the core of a hard to read, multi-hundred page networking book in less than a couple of pages. Crystal clear definitions, well structured text and diagrams, plus excellent cross-references make his "Encyclopedia of Networking" a huge time saver for any networking professional. Manuel Vexler, Certified Network Engineer

I work for an ISP in the Upstate NY area in 2nd level Internet support. I have found this book to be a very handy and comprehensive reference on Networking technologies. We are also an ILEC and I am impressed with how well this reference covers terms or acronyms that I am unfamiliar with when dealing with this side of the business. Great job Tom! Keep up the good work.

A must to complete the set. For some reason, I bought volume 2 first. As an aficiando of Mary Oliver, I am very happy to have both volumes now.

I love Mary Oliver's poetry - it always puts me into a better frame of mind, and makes me slow down and breathe. Her poetry is so lyrical and evocative, I am transported straight to the wonderful natural world, and am able to view my struggles and petty difficulties through a calming and peaceful lens. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys poetry, and to anyone who hasn't yet fallen in love with poetry - Mary Oliver is one of the best poets ever, in my opinion!

This is a collection of her poems, old and new. She is an outstanding poet, and one cannot do better than have her book of poems by your bedside, to read before going to sleep or when you awake in the night, or first thing in the morning.

The Pulitzer Prize winning poet, Mary Oliver, finishes her poem,"What Have I Learned So Far" with the line, 'Be ignited, or be gone.'To me, this conveys the passion she brings to life and poetry. What comes through clearly in her poems is her reverence for nature.
New and Selected Poems, Volume Two, is a moving collection of her past works combined with many new poems. There is a Zen isness that permeates her work.Haiku like parsimony with no embellishment. Nature does not need anything extra. For example, writing about what she saw after a storm -
And this detail: the body of a duck, a golden-eye; and beside
it one black-backed gull. In the body of the duck, among the breast
feathers, a hole perhaps an inch across; the color within the hole
a shouting red. And bend it as you might, nothing was to blame:
storms must toss, and the great black-backed gawker must eat, and
so on. It was merely a moment.
I recently saw Mary Oliver at the 92nd Street 'Y' in New York City where she was reading from this collection. See her if you can. She reads as she writes, with dignity and with passion and wisdom. This is an extraordinary collection of poems.

I have about 5 of her poetry books. I feel that her poetry has gotten more and more beautiful over time, and believe that this collection is better than Volume 1. Mary Oliver is definitely my favorite poet - much of her writing is about a thirst for growth and spirituality, and finding peace in nature and love (friendships and relationships). I have given this book to a number of friends, who are also touched by her gift of expressing the unexpressable. Some of my favorite poems in this book: the Percy series (her dog), Why I Wake Early, and The Whistler.

My other favorite book of Mary Oliver poems is her most recent one: "Thirst". It deals with grief at the lost of her long-time partner and is quite beautiful. For those looking for a really good book of poems in general, I *definitely* recommend "Good Poems," compiled by Garrison Keillor; and "Risking Everything: 110 Poems of Love and Redemption" compiled by Roger Housden. Enjoy!

I use this book more than any other for my weekly care plans. Very simple, yet effective.

This is a must for care plan books! For a fast, easy to use tool to get your nursing diagnosis and get on with your care plans! It doesn't take a class to figure out how to use it. Students in my nursing class that did not purchase this originally have already bought it or will be buying it this weekend.

I found this book to be so helpful. Although, it's a slightly older edition then the current one avaliable, it still got the job done.

I am a nursing student (will graduate in July) and this book has been an invaluable aid with all of the care plans I have had to do. As a matter of fact, most of my fellow classmates use this book or an earlier edition.

Nursing Diagnosis are not easy but this book has really helped. It gives you possible outcomes/goals.

This is an amazing book! I read it through twice and now I'm using it as a study and meditation tool. I've read, seen and heard a lot about positive thinking and all has been helpful, however this book has been the one thing that has gotten me to another level with the entire concept. The information provided is easy to understand and apply. The principles are much like that of other books that teach about positive thinking, but this one comes from a highly spiritual place. It got me to a new level of understanding. Previously, I was having trouble with some of the concepts of attracting great things into my life based on my beliefs of self worth. When I realized I am not only worthy, but that it is my divine birthright, amazing events and feelings came about. Our purpose is to express God on earth so how could love, joy, health and prosperity be anything but the natural flow. I highly recommend this book and challenge you to reach a new level of truth within yourself.

This book is a tremendous avenue to reawaken the senses and uplift your belief system in realizing that we control our destiny. Through constructive and positive thinking we ca have it all- health, healing, happiness, and a liberated spirit. Power Through Constructive Thinking

"To be afraid is to have more faith in
evil than in God."
--Emmet Fox

This quote from Emmet Fox, taken out of Power through Constructive Thinking is just one small example of powerful moments of insight to be found throughout this book. Much of what Fox says back in the 1930s and 40s is echoed by today's new age teachers. Abraham-Hicks comes to mind specifically.

To me - Emmet's "Power Through Constructive Thinking" is the foundation stone of all his powerful, inspiring & motivational books.

This one outlines in detail & comprehensively the technique for turning your thought processes into power to achieve peace, prosperity, health & happiness.

The process is easy & logical as soon as you see it. He uses Bible tracts to expand his ideas & show that this is nothing new. Mental science & the power of the mind has been around & recognised for thousands of years. Some successful people take the idea for granted & may not even realise they're using this system.

Despite the books age & the period from which it came, Emmet writes clearly & with fluidity that makes you want to carry on & finish the next chapter.

If you can just hold his ideas in place, remember them (write them down if need be) & daily put them into practice, you'll see your success's grow from day to day, followed health, happiness, prosperity & peace. All of which is nothing more than we're all clambering for - isn't it?

To me - Emmet's "Power Through Constructive Thinking" is the foundation stone of all his powerful, inspiring & motivational books.

This one outlines in detail & comprehensively the technique for turning your thought processes into power to achieve peace, prosperity, health & happiness.

The process is easy & logical as soon as you see it. He uses Bible tracts to expand his ideas & show that this is nothing new. Mental science & the power of the mind has been around & recognised for thousands of years. Some successful people take the idea for granted & may not even realise they're using this system.

Despite the books age & the period from which it came, Emmet writes clearly & with fluidity that makes you want to carry on & finish the next chapter.

If you can just hold his ideas in place, remember them (write them down if need be) & daily put them into practice, you'll see your success's grow from day to day, followed health, happiness, prosperity & peace. All of which is nothing more than we're all clambering for - isn't it?