Reviews Books

I'm sorry to see that Grahame's "Dream Days" is so unavailable. It's a deeply enjoyable book that demonstrates the power of "stories" to pull us out of the here and now and make us to stand up straighter, to imagine ourselves as knights and ladies. Grahame's book would be great for older children (young ones may find themselves fidgeting - there is a certain amount of description and archaic language). Adults may actually enjoy this one more than kids. Reading it brought back to me the days of my youth, when a good story could fire my imagination for days, and the characters lived right along side of me, as sort of doppelgangers. This story reminds me of E. Nesbit, another great Edwardian children's writer. Children should read these books, they are well-written and can help foster a love for the "right word" and the well-turned phrase. Try to find a copy with Parrish's illustrations. This whole book is just a wonderful aesthetic experience.

If you are picking up this book, you most likely have read its companion, THE GOLDEN AGE. This book continues the exploits of the children introduced in the first volume. Veddy, veddy English. Completely delightful, though.

I am not sure today's children would enjoy this book. The 19th Century British-isms will probably be quite tedious to any but the most precocious of children. And nothing really "happens" so to speak. No adventures of overwhelming magnitude. Rather, the children's imagination governs what happens throughout the book. Small things are turned into events of great importance. Children brought up with video games will most likely be bored. But for an adult, ahhh! This is a find. It will make you yearn for the idyllic childhood you never had or anybody had for that matter.

Each chapter is like sunlight shining on a bead of dew in April. Or something similarily poetic. Grahame's the better writer anyway.

Freud is the father of modern psychology and he established the psychoanalytical point of view. No one who is not well grounded in Freudian lore can hope to achieve any work of value in the field of psychoanalysis.

The publishers of the present book deserve credit for presenting to the reading public the gist of Freud's psychology in the master's own words, and in a form which shall neither discourage beginners, nor appear too elementary to those who are more advanced in psychoanalytic study.
Dream psychology is the key to Freud's works and to all modern psychology.

Freud's theories are anything but theoretical.
He was moved by the fact that there always seemed to be a close connection between his patients' dreams and their mental abnormalities, to collect thousands of dreams and to compare them with the case histories in his possession.
He did not start out with a preconceived bias, hoping to find evidence which might support his views. He looked at facts a thousand times "until they began to tell him something." His attitude toward dream study was, in other words, that of a statistician who does not know, and has no means of foreseeing, what conclusions will be forced on him by the information he is gathering, but who is fully prepared to accept those unavoidable conclusions.
This was indeed a novel way in psychology.

Five facts of first magnitude were made obvious to the world by his interpretation of dreams.
First of all, Freud pointed out a constant connection between some part of every dream and some detail of the dreamer's life during the previous waking state. This positively establishes a relation between sleeping states and waking states and disposes of the widely prevalent view that dreams are purely nonsensical phenomena coming from nowhere and leading nowhere.
Secondly, Freud, after studying the dreamer's life and modes of thought, after noting down all his mannerisms and the apparently insignificant details of his conduct which reveal his secret thoughts, came to the conclusion that there was in every dream the attempted or successful gratification of some wish, conscious or unconscious.
Thirdly, he proved that many of our dream visions are symbolical, which causes us to consider them as absurd and unintelligible; the universality of those symbols, however, makes them very transparent to the trained observer.
Fourthly, Freud showed that sexual desires play an enormous part in our unconscious, a part which puritanical hypocrisy has always tried to minimize, if not to ignore entirely.
Finally, Freud established a direct connection between dreams and insanity, between the symbolic visions of our sleep and the symbolic actions of the mentally deranged.
(Andre Tridon)

...The publishers of the present book deserve credit for presenting to the reading public the gist of Freud's psychology in the master's own words, and in a form which shall neither discourage beginners, nor appear too elementary to those who are more advanced in psychoanalytic study.

Dream psychology is the key to Freud's works and to all modern psychology. With a simple, compact manual such as Dream Psychology there shall be no longer any excuse for ignorance of the most revolutionary psychological system of modern times...

...Sigmund Freud's (1856-1939) attitude toward dream study was, in other words, that of a statistician who does not know, and has no means of foreseeing, what conclusions will be forced on him by the information he is gathering, but who is fully prepared to accept those unavoidable conclusions.
This was indeed a novel way in psychology...

Five facts of first magnitude were made obvious to the world by his interpretation of dreams.

First of all, Freud pointed out a constant connection between some part of every dream and some detail of the dreamer's life during the previous waking state...

Secondly, Freud, after studying the dreamer's life and modes of thought, after noting down all his mannerisms and the apparently insignificant details of his conduct which reveal his secret thoughts, came to the conclusion that there was in every dream the attempted or successful gratification of some wish, conscious or unconscious.

Thirdly, he proved that many of our dream visions are symbolical, which causes us to consider them as absurd and unintelligible; the universality of those symbols, however, makes them very transparent to the trained observer.

Fourthly, Freud showed that sexual desires play an enormous part in our unconscious, a part which puritanical hypocrisy has always tried to minimize, if not to ignore entirely.

Finally, Freud established a direct connection between dreams and insanity, between the symbolic visions of our sleep and the symbolic actions of the mentally deranged...

André Tridon

"Dreaming of a Stranger" was my first Sheila O'Flanagan book. I loved it! She writes in the same vein as Cathy Kelly, and I'm thrilled that I've found another great author to read.

I must admit that Shelia O'Flanagan is a fantastic author. I wanted to give four and a half stars, because some parts were relatively slow.
I must emphasize that the storyline is nothing fancy or deep. As a matter of fact "Dreaming of a stranger" is a pleasant book about ordinary characters. The story starts in 1981 and goes to 1994 with a song name (selections from top songs lists) regarding each chapter. You will find pieces from real lives, however they are not trivia, just the reality... Great friendship, love, marriage, motherhood, betrayal, divorce and again finding true love... Sounds boring but astonishingly well-written. Another example showing that Irish writes it better!
It was an excellent read, and I enjoyed it all the way through. Well worth the time, I will definitely be reading more by this author in the future!

This book should be required reading for ANYONE wishing to stay (or become!) healthy! Easy to understand, well-written, extremely informative!No fad gimmicks here! (Did we REALLY think we could lose weight and get healthy by eating GOBS of FAT? ) The emphasis here is on HEALTH, not losing weight; and REVERSING disease, such as diabetes and heart disease. I've had the PRIVELEGE of hearing Dr. Diehl speak and this book is a wonderful map for showing us his simple path to HEALTH! I'm buying more copies to give as Christmas presents to people I really care about. READ THIS BOOK! It will change (or even save!) your LIFE!

life changing book literally

I've been reading 'Eas Sports Nutrition Review', even though it's distributed by a nutrition company EAS it is incredibly informative; and RIGHTFULLY SO! What a better source of knowledge than a company funded to study it completely?! I started reading it completely this time about a week ago and I'm nearly halfway done, its 305 pages with pictures diagrams notes and an credible amount of resources to further your study. This book is PERFECT for everyone, as a starting point for a solid foundation to someone wanting to refresh and strengthen their knowledge about nutrition, exercise as well. There is a complete section all about exerciseing and goal settiing as well as mental health in addition to everything else!

I've read parts of it before about muscle and strength gain and now as I read the section on fat loss and basic nutrition I cannot believe I overlooked the importance of the two sections. They explain insulin, carb. effects in terms of energy etc and leptin along with so much more. It is highly dense in information on not just describing what's happening in the body but giving examples, explanations and suggestions.

I'm highlighting key points as I read it and compiling questions along the way so that I can quiz myself on the material to seriously retain the knowledge. I believe so strongly on this subject that it should be taught in schools as a necessity. I would advice EVERYONE to pick up a copy of this book and study it, not just read it but STUDY it! The knowledge and implementing of it is priceless.

For anyone that has ever gone through a diet, tried to lose weight or try to gain muscle and strength once you read this book your eyes will be open to a whole new world. This book is very cheap on amazon.com. You can get a copy used in great condition for as little as a few dollars. SERIOUSLY once you read this book you will have so many "Ah-Hah!" moments, where something in your mind will click. There are so many good points I could share with you about this book, I wish I could, so just read the book and see what I'm talking about.

Everything from how the food you eat effects insulin (also how to jump start insulin production, my dad is a type two diabetic and I have been noticing dozens of ways and combinations to almost `cure' him of his diabetes! If there ever was a cure it is through nutrition!) production and energy storage to how fat cells work and what happens to your muscle cells and BRAIN when you are lacking energy from carbs, muscles get broken down into amino acids to supply the body with energy to the effects of lack of carbs and energy with brain function and concentration, not to forget the importance of water as well....

There is so much good stuff in this book! This book is all about optimizing your nutrition and well being I don't think it should be limited to health enthusiasts, IT SHOULD BE TAUGHT TO EVERYONE! It should be taught in school as a mandatory subject for everyone. I don't mean the average nutrition class one might take in high school I mean an in depth seriously important insight, one that this book greatly supplies.

This book is awesome for those interested in strength training and body building. It combines the best thinking on foundation fuel eating and dietary supplements to achieve your physical fitness goals.

ECG Notes: Interpretation And Management Guide

This book saved me during my ECG rotation! I think the author tells it all in her preface to the book:

No one is born knowing how to read ECG strips. We learn to do many things in a lifetime, and nearly all of them get better with practice. If you're planning to use this book, ECG isn't completely new to you--you have a good idea of what's involved in generating and interpreting a tracing.

ECG Success covers all the information you will need--anatomy and physiology, practice, and case scenarios, and relevant emergency care--to help you feel competent and in control, whether the situation involves an emergency or just a nonthreatening ECG. This book has staying power. You will find its content useful across a spectrum of situations, from classroom study through clinical experience and later in actual practice.

Pattern recognition lies at the heart of ECG interpretation. This skill develops with experience, gained through repetition and variety. You need to see the same patterns over and over again, but you also need to see as great a diversity as possible. In ECG Success you'll find more than 550 ECG tracings.

The book is organized into four units. First, two introductory chapters review the background information you need for working with ECG. Chapter One discusses heart anatomy and physiology, including biomechanics and electrophysiology. Chapter Two gives you the basics of ECG: limb and chest leads, electrode placement, cable connections, components of a tracing, rhythm strip analysis, and more.

In Unit II, seven chapters explain and illustrate the different types of rhythm, some dangerous, others merely troublesome, and a few even normal. Each of these chapters gives you a group of nine practice strips to analyze, with the answers given at the end of the chapter. All types of arrhythmias are discussed and illustrated: sinus, atrial, junctional, and ventricular; atrioventricular and bundle branch blocks; artifact; and artificial pacemaker rhythm. The section ends with a chapter on myocardial infarction and the 12-lead ECG.

The chapter practice strips will warm you up for Unit III, the working core of the book. You'll find four test chapters with a total of 300 strips and the answers given at the end of each chapter so you can check your work. In case you're hungry for more, the two chapters in Unit IV comprise eleven real-life case studies, followed by multiple-choice questions and illustrated by more ECG strips. Four appendices round out the book: Healthcare Provider Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Advanced Cardiac Life Support Protocols, Emergency Medications, and Emergency Medical Skills.

As you page through this book you'll find some special features to guide you. In Units I and II, frequent Clinical Tips provide valuable information on how an arrhythmia can affect the patient. Hints on rhythm interpretation appear throughout the first practice strip chapter.

I couldn't have written this book without building up a track record of my own ECG successes. The secret: I had a good instructor who was patient and explained everything in detail. She kept emphasizing that we had to follow every step when analyzing a rhythm; shortcuts are dangerous because you can miss critical details on the rhythm strip. Then we had to practice, practice, practice. That repetition, combined with careful attention to every step, was the real key to my success.

Take your time now, and use ECG Success to improve your skills. Once you run into a genuine emergency you will have only minutes, or less, to interpret the ECG correctly and ensure the right treatment for the patient.

ECG Notes: Interpretation And Management Guide

The key to ECG interpretation is pattern recognition, and pattern recognition is developed the same way as any skill--through repetition.

ECG Success illustrates the key features of all arrhythmias and presents multiple practice strips to allow the student to learn the subtle findings that help distinguish one from another. Organized by the seven categories of arrhythmias, ECG Success reviews the basics of ECGs (anatomy, physiology, electrophysiology, etc.), and provides a diverse group of strips for practice and testing pattern recognition. In addition, the book includes four practice tests, each with 75 randomized ECG strips, and a unit with more than ten case studies with multiple-choice questions and more ECG strips.

ECG Success covers all the information needed--anatomy and physiology, practice, case scenarios, and relevant emergency care--to help the reader feel competent and in control, whether faced with a nonthreatening ECG or an emergency situation.

Key Features
* 272 pages, soft cover, full color
* 455 full size, real life ECG strips
* Strips presented three ways: identified by type of problem, randomized, and embedded in case studies
* Arrhythmia chapters each include practice strips to analyze rhythm, rate, interval, interpretation, etc.
* Full color illustrations offer a quick review of cardiac anatomy and physiology
* Clinical Tips and Hints dispersed throughout provide valuable information on rhythm interpretation and how an arrhythmia can affect a patient.
* Includes a chapter on myocardial infarction and 12-lead ECGs
* Four 75-strip practice tests
* Appendices include guidelines for CPR, ACLS, and emergency medical skills and medications
* Designed to also be useful for recertification review

Table of Contents
Unit I--Heart Structure and Electrical Activity
1. Anatomy and Physiology of the Heart
2. The Electrocardiogram
Unit II--Rhythms and Their Analysis
3. Sinoatrial Node Arrhythmias
4. Atrial Arrhythmias
5. Junctional Arrhythmias
6. Ventricular Arrhythmias
7. Atrioventricular and Bundle Branch Blocks
8. Artificial Cardiac Pacemakers
9. Artifact
10. The 12-Lead ECG and Acute Myocardial Infarction
Unit III--ECG Practice Tests
11. ECG Practice Test One
12. ECG Practice Test Two
13. ECG Practice Test Three
14. ECG Practice Test Four
Unit IV--Case Studies
15. Case Studies One
16. Case Studies Two
Appendices
Appendix A: Healthcare Provider Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
Appendix B: Advanced Cardiac Life Support Protocols
Appendix C: Emergency Medications
Appendix D: Emergency Medical Skills

Echo Review Guide is all you need for the Echo boards. Its a great read.

The key points in this book are excellent. The review of complex concepts seems effortless. The questions are thought provoking. This is a must for anyone who will be taking an echocardiography exam.

In this new book John Bellamy Foster has assembled a great deal of evidence (in a dozen chapters written and published over the last decade) that the earth's ecology is incompatible with capitalism. But is there an alternative?

Foster says: "A shift toward a broad movement for ecological conversion and the creation of a sustainable society also means that that the partnership between the state and the capitalist class, which has always formed the most important linchpin of the capitalist system, must be loosened by degrees, as part of an overall social and environmental revolution. This partnership must be replaced, in the process of a radical transformation of the society, by a new partnership between democratized state power and popular power" (p. 132).

Reading just that far, one might conclude that such a loosening by degrees could be achieved within the two-party system in the United States or in other regimes where voters choose between conservatives and liberals. Certainly many environmental progressives (if that's not a contradiction) have opted to work within the existing political duopoly.

But the Ralph Nader campaigns of 1996 and 2000, and the concomitant rise of the Green Party, presage a different direction. It is one, however, which will require both a deeper and more ecological understanding of the incompatibility of ecosystems with a profit system, and a more radical politics than the market-regulation offered by the Green Party platform and Citizen Nader's narrower planks.

Foster goes on to say: "Such a shift requires revolutionary change that must be more than simply a rejection of capitalist methods of accumulation and their effects on people and the environment. Socialism -- as a positive, not just a negative, alternative to capitalism -- remains essential to the conversion process, because its broad commitment to worldwide egalitarian change reflects an understanding of 'how the needs of the various communities can be fit together in a way that leaves nobody out, and that also satisfies global environmental requirements'."

In his major opus, Marx's Ecology (2000), Foster showed Marx's development of an ecological perspective that drew from the latest natural science discoveries. These included the discovery of the micro metabolic cycles by the cell theorists, Theodor Schwann and Matthias Schleiden, which Marx linked with the discovery of the grand metabolic cycles of earth and sky by the agrochemist Justus von Liebig. To this one would have to add the influence on Marx of Karl Fraas, an important figure in forest ecology neglected by Foster and most scholars in this country.

Marx's resulting awareness of the ecological care necessary to plan a sustainable socialism was ignored, however, by the Soviet Union under Stalin, as Foster showed, despite profound contributions by scientists like Vladimir I. Vernadsky, whose 1924 book, The Biosphere (1998), has become an internationally-recognized classic of ecology. Critical radicals today, and particularly those in the ecosocialism paradigm, reject the lack of democracy and bureaucratic centralism of such regimes, which
played a key role in the adoption of policies that degraded the environment.

Nevertheless, Foster argues, "Within a socialist framework, the sources of the largest-scale and most severe environmental destruction could be dealt with head-on, in a way that has already shown itself to be beyond the capacity -- not to say against the interests -- of capital."

Foster acknowledges a range of collaborators and rivals in the crafting of his new book. Most important is Paul Burkett, whose
Marx and Nature: A Red and Green Perspective (1999) finally clarified the distinction between the human use of nature and the exploitation of the exchange value of commodities. Foster also cites James O'Connor, author of Natural Causes (1998)as showing that "While there are many variations in economic growth theory, all presuppose that capitalism cannot stand still...that it must 'accumulate or die,' in Marx's words" (p. 80).

Although Foster's new book appeared at the same time as Joel Kovel's The Enemy of Nature (2002), which has the same basic theme, the books are quite different. Foster's collection of articles is intended to deal with specifics, it is "an attempt to intervene directly in contemporary political-economic debates on capitalism and the environment..." (p. 7). Kovel's book is actually an intervention into eco-politics and provides a sustained exploration of Ecosocialism as compared and contrasted with Deep Ecology, Bioregionalism, Anarchist Social Ecology, and particularly with Populism and variants of small-business capitalism.

If Foster's new book is focused on what needs to be undone in an ecological and economic conversion, Kovel's is much more a manual of what needs to be done to build the alternative to capitalism. The books actually complement each other, and both are essential tools for the ecological activist and the open-minded citizen.

John Bellamy Foster's "Ecology Against Capitalism" is a collection of essays that addresses some of the various aspects of capitalism's crisis of accumulation and the environment. Importantly, the author compares and contrasts the failures of the ecological economics model with the more promising ecosocialist paradigm, arguing that the latter is humanity's best chance to create a stable, healthy and humane world.

I haven't read any other books by Foster, but it is hard to imagine a better effort. This powerful little book is written with passion, clarity and purpose. Foster seems to pack more meaning in 170 pages than others who use twice the space. Consequently one can imagine the book serving as an excellent supplemental textbook for students who may be interested in rapidly developing their critical thinking skills.

Many of the articles discuss how the growth of capitalism is leading to environmental collapse. Foster shows that assigning market values to nature and introducting relatively less harmful technologies will not end the destruction. Rather, these so-called Green Economics solutions will merely lead to a "more efficient exploitation of the environment" (pg. 58) by the capital markets.

Foster strongly believes that a moral element is at play. The "higher immorality" of the bourgeoise class is implicit in its accumulation of material goods and profits at the expense of the poor and the environment; but it is also sometimes explicitly stated, such as in Lawrence Summers' infamous World Bank memo where a policy of exporting pollution to poor countries was rationalized because the economies are less developed there.

In my opinion, one of the best passages on the issue of morality concerned Foster's devastating critique of Malthus, who was one of the original apologists for the privileged class. Foster brilliantly turns the cult of Malthusianism on its head by arguing that the environmental crisis is a result of overconsumption by the rich, not the poor. Foster points out that neo-Malthusianism remains influential within neoliberal thought and argues forcefully that it must end if we are to ever stop deluding ourselves and get to work on real solutions to the crisis.

Foster's personal experiences with the timber industry conflicts in the Pacific Northwest are related in the book's lengthiest essay. The author discusses the limits of achieveing environmental sustainability without class struggle and the support of labor. Interestingly, Foster demonstrates the practical value of ecosocialist theory by articulating a workable solution that went beyond the rhetoric of "jobs versus logs". Perhaps not surpisingly, the author tells us that the promising proposal was quashed by a Bush Sr. administration official in favor of a pro-industry solution.

Ultimately, Foster shows that an ecosocialist society that values democracy, community and nature can indeed create "a positive, not just a negative, alternative to capitalism" (pg. 132). I urge you to read this outstanding book.

Bastiat does some gentle and not so gentle poking fun at the Trade Luddites of his era. His defense of free trade is no less relevant today. In fact, with the nonsense we are hearing about trade from political and activist quarters - it is probably even more important today.

This is a book that I first read about fifteen years ago, and the wonderful stories provide vivid examples for evaluating, or countering, "new" economic ideas with common sense historical, or allegorical, counterparts.

Protectionists, beware - this book will change you forever.

From the Afterword: "Above all, financial speculation has produced a real estate mania that is unprecendently global and that has driven up the value of housing in historic fashion. The total value of residential property in developed economies rose by more than $30 trillion dollars over the past five years, to over $70 trillion, an increase equivalent to 100 percent of those countries' combined GDPs. Not only does this dwarf any previous boom in housing prices, its 25 percent bigger than the global stock-market bubble of the 1990s, which entailed an increase in equity values of 'only' 80 percent of the countries combined GDP in five years. 'In other words,' says The Economist, 'it looks like the biggest bubble in history.'"

If you want to understand the deep roots of this crisis in worldwide capitalist manufacturing over-capacity, read the book.

First of all, a book on economics that gets thumbs up from both The Nation & The Wall Street Journal should get a wide readership. In the field of economics, where neoclassical and neoliberal dogmatism is dominant to the point of being stifling, it is important to open the windows to let fresh air in.

The book's main thrust is to provide an alternative hypothesis to explain the postwar economic boom, and the long downturn (relative to the boom) starting in the 1970s. In the orthodox neoclassical/neoliberal account, the long downturn is explained as the result of organized labor successfully fighting for high wages, which squeeze profits, which in turn reduces investment, which slows growth. (This is an explanation that works well in economic models consistent with neoliberal ideology, but not so well in explaining empirical realities.) In Prof. Brenner's account, the downturn is due rather to an inherent feature of capitalism: a tendency to overproduction. Capitalism has indeed unleashed unparalleled productive forces, but the lack of planning inherent in currently existing capitalism has resulted in overproduction and economic stagnation (in the face of, I should mention - this is not part of Prof. Brenner's account - millions of deaths worldwide from starvation and easily preventable diseases).

To summarize one further stage of the book's main argument, what has occurred in global capitalism is this: one nation's businesses make large capital investments in the most advanced technology to date; later, businesses in a different nation seeking to catch up make investments in more advanced, more productive technology, allowing its factories to produce more at lower cost, forcing the first nation's businesses to reduce prices and give up on profit in order to hold on to market share. In this manner, factories in the first nation do not generate the return on capital expected by their investors, and profits are squeezed due to competition with technologically advanced newcomers, reducing investment and growth. (The same pattern occurs within nations as well.) It is this underlying pattern, in Prof. Brenner's account, that has caused the long downturn. Since WWII, we have seen this pattern play out with the US taking the lead, Germany and Japan catching up, then Korea and the East Asian tigers catching up, and now we are watching China, Brazil, and maybe India and Russia catch up. But catching up will be increasingly hard to do without a large increase in aggregate demand, since with the entry of late developers - China especially - overproduction is increasing apace.

This has been a short, rough summary of Prof. Brenner's argument. His argument is advanced through a very detailed trudge through mountains of statistics - there is very little reliance on the opinions of economic commentators and academics. This may intimidate the general reader, but do not worry - you may have to devote more attention to this book than a book popularizing the neoclassical school of economics' fairy tale mathematical models and methodologically-unsound theorizing, but this book is illuminating and rewarding. I highly recommend it.