Tools Books

As vice president for plant operations at a medium scale manufacturing plant in Saint Louis I have searched for an approach to improve the plant's productivity for many years. "It's Not Magic" has given me the tools to approach my problems differently. I have found the book's methods of management applicable to my manufacturing plant. Although I have only been able to test them out on a small scale, I look forward to being able to implement them plant wide. Kudos to Klein and Zawacki for hitting the nail on the head !

The book follows a small company as it starts down the road of modern management. The book is a fast read, and is similar to The Goal in style. In it the problems faced and the resources available reflect the real world of small to mid-size manufacturing. The key benefit to the reader is the blending of academic theory with shop floor reality. I enjoyed the book and learned some new ideas from it. More importantly, it also showed how to start putting those ideas into action.

"It's not Magic" is a must read for anyone involved in constantly seeking improvement. The efficient mix of production techniques and management philosophy is needed to be successful in an increasingly competitive workplace. As anyone who has ever been on or around a production line knows the ultimate goal has to be seeking better methods to complete the work. It's very refreshing to see a real life example of how production and philosophy can work so well together. I look forward to the next publication by Klein and Zawacki.

It is refreshing to hear from a professor who has his feet on the ground. The easy stile of writing is very appealable, and the dialog flows easily while devulging the enjoyable relationship of owner, supervisors, line employees and Keen, the professor/consultant. All participate together in the rebirth of a small manufacturing company. All this takes place while decades'old organizational certainties meet with, blend, and in some cases are replaced by new discoveries. The author demonstrates that "salesmanship" is a key ingredient in effecting in-house change. A must read for anyone seeking to improve the bottom line. -- Rodger Faherty

It's Not Magic should be read by everyone involved in organizational change and improvement. It examines not only the need to change systems and structures but recognizes that success also requires the ability to bring about change in the organization's culture and way of thinking. In an easy to read and interesting format, Klein and Zawacki focus on a few fundamental concepts and illustrate how they actually applied these throughout an organization. The insights gained from their experiences are invaluable. Reading this book will motivate you to modify your outlook and organizational systems in order to transform your company into a world-class organization.

great book, helps with psyc care plans a lot. Great price, cheaper than college bookstore.

This was required for my psych rotation and initially I almost didn't buy it (many classes have extra texts that you don't really need - I thought this might be one...) However, our professor emphasized that the psych dx in regular nursing care plan books aren't right & don't have all that pertain specifically to psych/mental health and lack correct interventions.

As it turns out, I used this little book significantly more than I used the primary text for the class! It has info on the various psych drugs with indications & things to watch out for, info on appropriate communication styles when dealing with individuals displaying particular behaviours incl. therapeutic communication, descriptions of all the various defense mechanisms etc. It's really worth the $$$.

This is one text I will keep beyond nursing school for easy reference to all things psych.

This book was very helpful...If you have the Mental Health book by Elizabeth Varcarolis 5th edition then this book is good to have. It helps with careplans and it has a lot of the psychiatric meds plus interventions. Example with Lithium; for Bipolar-you want to check serum lithium levels weekly/biweekly during therapy. It gives you interventions and nursing considerations for the drugs. So it does have a lot of information in it. Its small but it is a great book to have for Mental Health.

This was recommended to me by a classmate. It also was valuable when working on a focused care plan. I continue to go to it to emphasize what I had learned through readings and lectures.If psychatric nursing is not your forte, this will definetly help you out.

Excellent resource for my altered mental health nursing course. Lots of information and easy to follow. I would recommend this as a supplement to any psych nursing course.

While I agree with other reviewers that this is a fantastic book with a learning-friendly layout and good explanations for the texts, I think that those considering purchasing the book should realize a few points:

1. Controversy in the field over pronunciation, grammatical structure and syntax are at a high level. Even in comparison with other dead languages, such as Akkadian or Egyptian, there is less consensus among experts. Hayes, to his great credit, presents these viewpoints. However, the reader is left with issues to sort out for himself/herself.

2. I would recommend at least a modicum of linguistic understanding before tackling Sumerian. Hayes (again, to his great credit) does an excellent job of explaining topics such as ergativity, but at the same time, I think that some readers might become very confused and lose interest.

Personally, I am waiting for Hayes' second book, which is promised at the end of the first as having more advanced texts, including some of the principal literary texts which were written in Sumerian.

A MANUAL OF SUMERIAN GRAMMAR AND TEXTS. Aids and Research Tools in Ancient Near Eastern Studies No.5. Second Revised and Expanded Edition. By John L. Hayes. 471pp. Malibu : Undena Publications, 2000. ISBN 0-89003-508-1 (pbk.)

This is an introductory grammar, designed for readers with no previous knowledge of Sumerian or its writing system, and can be used either with or without a teacher. It contains a general description of Sumerian and its writing system, and a series of 22 lessons.

Each lesson includes a sign list and a vocabulary, cuneiform text/s, transliteration, transcription, and translation, and full grammatical commentary. Since emphasis has been placed on transliteration and transcription, the Manual can be used without learning the cuneiform signs. The texts used are royal inscriptions of the Ur III period, presented in photograph or autograph. A certain amount of historical, archaeological, and cultural background is also presented.

Also included are 80 pages of Appendices - History of Sumerian; Mesopotamian Sources; Glossary; General Structure and Alternate Explanations; Further Work; Bibliography; Concordances; Topical Index.

The Manual is in full quarto size (8.5 by 11 inches), is superbly printed in a large clear font on excellent paper, and is in fact one of the most beautifully printed books I've ever seen. It is richly illustrated with numerous large black-and-white photographs and drawings, and also with a large number of cuneiform texts. These have been specially drawn by John Carnahan, in a variety of styles and in large, bold and magnificent cuneiform that is a joy to behold.

Not only is the Manual visually and physically impressive, but the text itself is also of the highest quality. Hayes' lucid and engaging style, his attention to detail, his concern to include just about everything that might conceivably be of use or interest to the student, and his knack of making the grammar both intelligible and interesting, make this the most outstanding Manual of its kind that I've ever seen.

Anyone who is interested in beginning Sumerian would be very unwise to miss this book. Hayes' Manual strikes me as a true labor of love, and personally I can think of no way in which it could possibly have been made better. It's that good!

Note: this review is for the updated, revised edition (Undena, 2000). Admission #1 - I'm not an Assyriologist, nor an academic, so I have no professional qualifications to judge this work. But I enjoy learning languages, and I know what works for me. Admission #2 - I've just begun studying it, and I'm only on lesson 2.

If I could have designed the ideal learning grammar for a "dead" language, it would look something like this. There are 26 lessons - each one starts with a vocabulary of 10 to 15 words, given in cuneiform and transliteration. These are followed by a short reading (mostly royal inscriptions from the Ur III period). All reading selections are given in cuneiform, transliteration, transcription, and English translation. No guessing about whether you've understood the text, or not! The grammatical explanations are complete and clear; no special linguistic knowledge is presupposed. When there is scholarly disagreement about grammar or syntax, this is noted as well. The grammar is presented inductively; a reading is presented, and the grammar necessary to understand it is explained. Each lesson builds on the previous ones, and there is a wealth of cultural and historical information provided.

In summary, whether you're learning with a teacher or on your own, it's hard to imagine a text better than this one.

I owe a lot to this book. This is a key to the world of Sumerian writing and grammar. I eagerly await the promised sequel to this.

I bought this book under inspiration of Sitchin writings, to get an additional dimension to his ideas.
The manual is a very interesting one, with good, quite formal and precise grammar descriptions (not amauterish and simplified), with texts, translations etc.
However, since the Sumerian language is a dead one, there are several caveats:
- there is no phonetics,
- all the cunieform texts are ancient clay tables with very narrow range of contents,
- a cuneiform character may have a variety of forms in different texts, which makes the recognition sometimes a difficult task, and there is no systematic theory/description of charactes structure,
- there are too few cuneiform texts to get a good practice at reading and translation and the texts are very short,
- there is no vocabulary with cuneform characters sorted by some criteria, so each character you forget must be seeked through the entire book,
- there are about 600 characters (not too much), but the manual contains only a couple of hundreds of them,
- there are no excerieses, as a language manual is expected to have, it's more of a reference book.

Nevertheless, the book was a very interesting lingustic and historical reading, though I must admit that after diligently going through 3/4 of the lessons, I still had a feeling of being as novice as I was during the lesson #1.

My older preschoolers (fours and fives) get a big kick out of these books. They are very amusing mysteries that make you laugh as they make their points.

I like all James Marshall books and this is one of them

I am eleven years old, and I love Miss Nelson Has a Field Day because it was funny and interesting. I liked it when Miss Viola Swamp called one boy, "Smarty". It made me laugh!! I think other kids should read this because it is a really good book. I think it is even better than the first two Miss Nelson books. All kids would love this book!!

My daughter loved this book. She was not an avid reader a couple summers ago but this one was a favorite. She likes all the Miss Nelson books but she was able to write a summary on this one and have all the information correct so she was paying attention. If it is on your summer reading list for school, go for it, it's worth it.

Miss Swamp reappears at the Horace B. Smedley School

The Horace B. Smedley School's football team is awful-and their big game with their major rival is on tap. Can anything be done to get the guys into shape in time for the game? Miss Nelson has a plan and, out of the blue, Miss Swamp is on the scene. But where is Miss Nelson??????

This is a truly delightful series that the whole family can enjoy. Good stories, great characters and the indomitable Miss Nelson all add up to great fun and great reading for kids.

Totally delightful and revealing... I pull a card or a couple when I'm feeling confused, or stuck and there it is, in living color... something for me to really think about and explore within myself.

And that's the whole idea, of course, to give us a window into ourselves - a window we can use to take action, which might be anything from a nap, to a celebration or telling someone (or ourselves) the truth.

A great gift to yourself or someone else or both!

At my age I no longer need to make many important life choices. But I know many young people who do. The most difficult decisions to make are when both options are equally desirable, or when both are unpleasant, but one has to be chosen nevertheless. Often, we are all alone when we need to make these decisions. So how do we go about it? We usually make two columns, the Yes and No ones. But they are not very helpful. We may have a long Yes list and still feel uncomfortable about that choice. What we tend to forget is that our emotions must be behind our decision. Otherwise, we won't be happy with it in the long run. And many of our emotions are ones that we don't really want to acknowledge - like fear, anger, embarrassment, envy. With these cards it is easy to get reminded of what we are really feeling -- there are so many of them. So if we pick out the cards that go into the Yes and No column, we get a much better idea what our final decision should be. Then we will feel good about the job, or move, or connection with another person. This attractive pack of cards makes a wonderful, truly unique gift for any person who might get bombarded by numerous opportunities and forks in the road. Included is an instruction booklet on how to use the cards for other situations as well. A great gift indeed!

What a beautiful resource! Using the Mixed Emotions cards helped me frame the many feelings I was experiencing while holding a job I found to be less than fulfilling. I was able to use the cards not only to organize my thoughts and emotions for myself, but actually use them with my manager when I notified him that I was resigning to "follow my bliss." Being able to lay out the cards as an instrument to assist me in delivering my message made our meeting somehow less tense and easier to complete.

I love this product!!! I've used Mixed Emotions for a while now and have found it flexible and incredibly easy to use. The emotions cards are beautiful. I continually find myself using them before I journal in order to get clear on what I'm feeling. I use Mixed Emotions mostly when something is bugging me about a situation and I don't know how to make things better. I go through the deck of emotions cards and think about my situation: do I feel this? If Yes, then I put that card in one pile, and if No, then I put it in another. Sometimes I have a Maybe pile, and by the time I'm done, I have gotten all of my emotions out of my heart and "onto the table" where it becomes astonishingly clear what's going on. Just by looking at the cards laid out there in front of me, I suddenly have an insight and know what to do next about the situation that is bothering me. Plus if it has something to do with someone else, I then have the clarity and WORDS with which I'm able to discuss the situation and state what I want.

The book that comes with Mixed Emotions gives some suggestions on how to use them for making yes/no decisions, choosing between several options (perhaps you're thinking about what to do next in a relationship, or moving to a new house or location, or taking a new job) and other possibilities. Plus the art is so colorful and lively -- it really helps me to relate to each emotion. It's amazing how many emotions there are -- there are 60 cards, and each has 4 emotions on it! I would never be able to come up with so many myself, but by "knowing it when I see it" as I go through the cards, I'm able to put words to situations. Before I was just writhing in discomfort about something vague without being able to get at what it is that I'm feeling, and after Mixed Emotions, at least I know what it is that's bothering me!

I am so grateful that Petra Martin put these together. Highly recommended.

I've been using the mixed emotions cards for a number of months now, and am amazed at how much it has helped me to make decisions, work through difficult issues, and collaborate with others in a neutral but effective way.

Being a visual person, the illustrated cards enable me to pinpoint the main underlying emotion to a problem quickly by being able to "see" and work through the symptomatic emotions first. For example, Fear may be the main underlying emotion, but symptoms of that are resistance, powerlessness, anger, etc.

The first time using the cards, I was able to articulate to someone exactly how I felt about a particular problem and the conflict resolved itself almost immediately - not to mention the tremendous relief felt by being able to take action on a problem instead of letting it stew. That's empowerment!

I've also used the cards with a number of friends and have found it gives you an opportunity to verbalize or "talk through" how you feel in a directive manner by stepping through the cards, describing why you chose them (and sometimes talking is easier than trying to work it out in your head).

Personally, coming out of chemical dependency treatment as well as therapy, my emotions and feelings were awash in a big gray cloud. These cards were a vital tool in helping to figure out what my feeling were called, why I was feeling them, what I would prefer to feel and what possible paths of action I could choose in difficult situations.

I would highly and most absolutely recommend the Mixed Emotions cards to anyone looking for a powerful tool that facilitates progress in an emotional, spiritual and life changing way.

serious system testing has never been part of the culture here. One day the manager decided that it would be a good thing if we did proper, coordinated, effective stress and load testing. I got stuck with coming up with strategy. I started reading this book expecting a how to guide. I expected to be spoon fed all the nittt gritty details on how to do it. This is not what I got.

This book points you in the right direction, show you the tools you could use, explains what you need to think about and the questions you need to ask. The how-to and the answers to the questions are more for you to figure out yourslef.

At the end of it you come away with a better understanding of what you need to do, why you need to do, high level how you are going to do it and the value you and your company are going to gain by doing all of this.

I would strongly recommend it to anyone having to get involved in system analysis and performance. It gives you a great broader picture of the whole issue. You think you know what you have got yourself involved in. this book shows you that you appreciate only the tip of the iceberg.

This is an excellent book which can be used for perfomance tuning and stress testing phase of big projects

Written by an authority on the subject. This book is a treasure trove of information that is detailed and essential for covering all aspects of a properly executed stress test. Written from experience, this book is a definite "MUST" read for anyone assigned the challenging task.

This book features good discussion on performance tuning the mySAP suite that no other books have so far. This is the perfect book for SAP Stress Test Project Managers, SAP Stress Test Project Teams, SAP Basis Administrators, Oracle DBAs, Unix Administrators managing SAP systems, and project implementation teams. Those who stress test their systems well with the help of this book will have significant returns.

The ultimate reference for performance testing (certainly testing, more so than actual tuning, though the latter is covered well in the last few chapters). The author's approach is complete in that it addresses how to test along with what, when, to what degree, and with what kind of staffing resources. I'm already thinking of ways we can improve our own change control processes, and based on tools and methods covered by the author I'm convinced I can do so cheaper and with less impact to my users than I previously thought possible. Case in point, look into the two chapters on tools for testing and monitoring: in this alone, the book will pay for itself in short order.

For most people the purchase of their home is the biggest investment they will ever make. In this book Peter Mitchell and James Pidd teach you how to use the equity of your home and turn it into a vehicle for a more financially secure retirement. They bring to reality the common knowledge that mortgage interest is simple interest and investment interest is compounding interest.
The examples in this book make clear the power of compounding interest when combined with the tax advantage of life insurance and the impact that has on your retirement goals. They make a compelling case that turns the equity of your home into a financial vehicle that meets the investment criteria of safety, liquidity and rate of return.
This should be a must read book for everyone starting with every High School senior.

Excellent job of explaining the benefits of making your mortgage work for you. As a mortgage professional if most homeowners understood these concepts and applied them we would have a lot more people setup for retire and enjoy there life. Sadly most people go about it the wrong way and wind up struggling in their retirement years.

As a homeowner who's gone through three loans since the purchase of my first home, I can only say, "Why didn't somebody have this information out sooner, I could have avoided some pitfalls along the way". This is an amazing book I highly recommend to ALL HOMEOWNERS! Not only do I now know how the different types of home loans that are available work, I also know which is the best loan for my situation because I can accumulate wealth for my family and have my home mortgage paid off sooner If I choose to. This book is putting me behind the driver's seat of my largest investment and taking me to my desired destination at retirement in a faster, smoother ride. I will never look at my home and my investments in the way that I used to. Thank You, Peter Mitchell!

This book is a must read. It's certainly at the top of my list.
Don't you wish that you could go back in time? I like to say it this way. I am now 47 years old and I wish I knew then, at the birth of my first son at age 27, what I know now.
Where did you learn about money, the Banks? Or our Schools?
Probably from life experiences right?
We are not taught about finances at all.
When you read this book, you will have what I like to say is an "Ah Ha Experience".
Why didn't someone tell me the whole story? Are you going to listen to the radio and TV or are you going to get educated. This book will teach you about your mortgage loan, maximizing cash flow and what the Financially Independent people do.
It's either Man or Woman at work or Money at work. The sooner you have money work for you, the sooner you can stop working for it and do what is most important to you.
Most people do not take the time to plan out their lives. Read this book and it will open up your mind to things that we are not taught and you need to know. Don't you want to make the right decisions when it comes to your money?
This book will definitely help you. I have been in the Financial Services industry for seven years and it makes a lot of sense.
If you are a loan officer this is a must read book. This book will help you to separate yourself from all of your competition.

I've been a Certified Mortgage Planner. I've seen many, many people in the wrong type of mortgage with little to no planning for their future. They were almost always in the wrong mortgage because they didn't have the knowledge they needed to make a better choice and took someone else's advice. The same goes for retirement planning. People need to learn more about the reasons behind the choices they need to make. I got into mortgage planning because I wanted to find a way to help people. And there are not many other ways where I could have the impact I wanted to have. I understand from experience what kind of impact both the right and the wrong choices can make.
This is the best resource I've read to date for both the consumer and the mortgage professional on the types of mortgages and their use when you're practicing equity management which I believe should be a part of every homeowner's retirement plan.
I now help lead what we hope will become the premier debt elimination company in the country. I speak to mortgage professionals every week and at the time of my writing this review I'd say about 25% of the people I speak to thoroughly understand what this book can teach you. That's not good enough, and it tells you why it's so important for you to be knowledgeable and have an understanding of mortgage types and how they'll affect your entire financial future.
There are going to be other reviews which will argue against equity management because it's not the right choice for a small percentage of homeowners. The Chicago Fed came out with a report last year that supports equity management. But that argument is not the point. I don't care what type of account you use to build your retirement. The point is you need to build a retirement that fits your needs and over 90% of Americans are not doing that right now. You need the knowledge to make good choices. This book has to be one of the resources you learn from.
Don't let arguments over the best kind of retirement accounts keep you from learning what you need to know.
Read this for yourself and for your future.

"What you are about to read is based on a theory that turns inside out most beliefs about how the universe works. It embraces the concept that consciousness is primary. We believe that consciousness creates physical reality and not the other way around, as most of us were taught." - From the book

Husband and wife team Ron and Denny Reynolds have teamed up to share the results of personal experiments conducted in the laboratory of life. In The New Perspective: Ten Tools for Self-Transformation, the authors share the questions they've asked of life and the amazing answers they've derived from spiritual masters, books, and arguably the most important of all sources: personal experience.

The ten tools for self-transformation provided by the authors are as follows:

1. Change your beliefs, change your reality - Your beliefs create your reality
2. Choose love and choose love again - There are only two forces in the universe: love and fear
3. The universe unfolds as it should 100% of the time - Your Higher Self always has your greater good in mind
4. Things you resist tend to persist - Your Higher Self will keep things on your agenda until you get it
5. Focus on what you have, rather than what you don't have - What you put your attention on expands
6. Do what excites you the most - What you put out is what you get back
7. Be willing to take a leap of faith - You only lose by the mount of doubt you have
8. Everything is a symbolic reflection - It's done with mirrors
9. The power is in the present moment - The only time there is...is Now
10. All is one...One is all - There is only one of us: God, Goddess, All That Is

The New Perspective: Ten Tools for Self-Transformation also provides guided visualizations as well as exploratory exercises and worksheets to help you ascertain unconscious beliefs, create new ones, and set intentions for your highest good. The authors also share powerful anecdotes illustrating how these tools can help you cope with unexpected loss, dashed expectations, and troubling addictions.

While the perspectives in this book echo wisdom found elsewhere (The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, Loving What Is by Byron Katie, The Law of Attraction by Michael Losier, The Secret of the Shadow by Debbie Ford, What the Bleep Do We Know!?, A Course in Miracles and so on), it's nice to have such immediately helpful, profound wisdom encapsulated in one volume.

Written in an accessible, engaging style, The New Perspective: Ten Tools for Self-Transformation will empower you to release harmful beliefs, memories, and attachments, and create a life filled with love, harmony, peace, and abundance.

THE NEW PERSPECTIVE is a handbook containing pretty much the best advice anyone could ever hope to find regarding personal transformation... all in one slim gem of a book. Authors Ron and Denny Reynolds wrote a book based on four decades of their work assisting clients and learning a variety of practical techniques. While the ten tools for transformation included in THE NEW PERSPECTIVE will likely feel familiar to you, they are the essential keys to overcoming most all inner blocks and seeming barriers to you living the life you most wish to live.

The ten tools for transformation include: change beliefs to change reality, choose love instead of fear, your high self has your greater good in mind, what you resist persists, what you focus attention on expands, what you put out is what you get back -- so do what excites you most, be willing to take a leap of faith, the universe reflects you back to you, there's great power in this present moment, and we are all as one.

THE NEW PERSPECTIVE contains numerous exercises and examples of each topic, is well organized, and is written in a friendly style that feels like the authors are dear friends who are sharing the secrets they use to create the best possible lives for themselves.

I highly recommend this book to all seekers who genuinely wish to live a life that's full of love and prosperity on every level.

Ron & Denny Reynolds have put together an insightful, inspiring account of their uncovering of the awareness that consciousness is all there is...and of the implications for how this explains the life experiences we encounter. The authors provide practical self-empowerment tools based on clearly explained metaphysical concepts. With these tools and insights readers are empowered to appreciate their lives more fully and to become more open to the growth process that the mirror of perceived reality offers. Furthermore, the concepts needed to help readers learn to more consciously create their experienced reality are explained. Key personal growth exercises presented within the book's chapters are reprinted in an appendix for easy access. This book draws on the authors' own experiences combined with ideas from A Course in Miracles, channeled sources such as Bashar and Seth, and the modern physics paradigm of non-local consciousness and interconnectedness underlying all perceived reality. Prepare to release limiting beliefs and illusions of separateness as you join this couple on the timeless metaphysical journey of co-creation. While this book refers to the ideas presented as a "new" perspective, I would suggest that the perspective they share is really timeless. It just seems new when you've been operating from a different level of understanding before coming upon these concepts in your present life. In actuality, these metaphysical ideas have been present in spiritual and mystical traditions long before our present point in human history. In a society dominated by materialism and religious dogmas, the "new perspective" spiritual ideas are certainly new and refreshing to come upon.

The New Perspective is a great little book and a very valuable contribution to field of spirituality and consciousness.

More and more people are awakening to the fact that there is more to reality than meets the eye. The physical reality that we perceive with our five senses is only one facet of what is, only one of the views available from the multifaceted prism of perception. Once we begin to explore the whole prism, we become aware that a broader set of rules is operating just beneath the surface of our ordinary reality. We become aware that we create our own reality through our consciousness and, through practice, we become aware that there are ways of navigating such consciousness and of mastering the creation process.

The New Perspective is a book that explores the process of becoming conscious perceivers and creators of ones life, shining light on the rules beneath the surface. The concepts on how to create a better life are explained very simply and effectively through highlighting ten principles/tools that anybody can easily experiment with, with just a little willingness to try something new. There are wonderful little exercises/processes for one to play with in each chapter, so that you can experience these new concepts for yourself, if you so wish.

The book is written in a very personal way by Ron and Denny, a husband and wife team, married for thirty odd years, blessed enough to have been able to share their journey of awakening together from the inception. The book is full of inspiring and very real anecdotes of what living a conscious life means, as Ron and Denny share interesting episodes from their life as a couple, as parents and as individuals on the path. As such the New Perspective is not only interesting and informational, but it is also inspirational. I was feeling a little down in the dumps before reading this book and by the time a got half way through it, I felt back in the driving seat of my life. I was reminded that if I do not like my current creation, I can change it, as I am not a victim of circumstance but a powerful creator. I was reminded that life is a game to play, where, with the right attitude and with a little help from Spirit, we can experience great fun, joy and adventure as we grow into more magnificence and beauty.

Thank you Ron and Denny for bringing forward so well this precious vibration.

The New Perspective-Ten Tools for Self-Transformation is a wonderful book to help guide you on a spiritual journey of life. Ron and Denny Reynolds have condensed over 40 years of their own spiritual growth into an easy to read and comprehend book. The ten tools are principles which help you co-create the life you want and deserve; rather than just being an observer and waiting for life to happen. The book helped me to fully appreciate that I am a spiritual being having a human experience. When I read the book the first time through, I felt as though they were talking directly to me. I'm reading it a second time to allow the message to sink in to a deeper level. I am truly grateful for the wisdom that Ron and Denny have shared. I love this book.

I thought I knew a little about the scroll saw and this book showed me how little really I knew. I know what projects that I want to build and this book has the answers on techniques that I need to accomplish them all.
Referencing the scroll saw machine features from the book, I bought the Hitachi 16" Variable Speed Scroll Saw Model: CW40 from Lowes [great value: $150, including table legs, vacuum port, 45` table tilt left & right, flexible blower hose, accepts plain or pin end blades, attached work light, and with a $25 rebate/gift card] Now I feel almost totally prepared to begin trying my hand at a new skill.

There is a lot of info in there, almost too much in some chapters like machine history, but it is very much worth the USED LIKE NEW book price.

Synopsis (quote)
The world's leading scroll saw expert offers a masterful comprehensive reference covering the equipment, materials, and artistry, from time-honoured methods to critiques of the latest machines and accessories. A bestseller in its classic first edition for 15 years, the guide's massive technical updates and new sections make an even more valuable contribution, with simplified instructions on ways to apply the latest innovations and how to make the best projects from the past even better. Sections on current models and major parts of the scroll saw; accessories; how to select a saw; blades, speeds, & feeds; safety techniques & guidelines; patterns & layout; scroll-sawing basics; stack-cutting & cutting thick wood; sawing thin & small stock; compound sawing; inlay work; marquetry basics; fine fretwork; appliques & overlays; joinery; sawing plastics; sawing metals; segmentation & intarsia; finishing basics.

The synopsis above says it all, but what it doesn't say is how readable and informative it is. I first saw the early edition of this book at my uncle's, and spent the entire evening engrossed in it, to the dismay of my wife and aunt, but delight of my uncle. Subsequently I purchased the new updated version, and was pleasantly surprised at how many of the modern saws were included and appraised. Although American, so are the majority of the designs in your major Hardware Store (even if they're actuallly produced in China or Taiwan).

The history of the scroll saw is given, with plenty of pictures of the various makes, showing improvements and simplifications to the basic design. Then we get the theory and mechanics of scroll sawing and why some designs are better and/or more or less expensive than others - what you get for your money, in short.

The book manages to avoid the trap of 'designs that any idiot can make', instead detailing the whole gamut of techniques, blades, jigs and materials to enable one to produce anything from the simplest to the most complex, professional-looking piece of work.

Loaded with hints, tips, Dos&Dont's, this is a must-buy for all woodwork/filigree enthusiasts. *****

A little long on the history of scroll saws but still very interesting. Well put together and relitively up to date on equipment. The only scrollsaw not shown is the new Delta saw. Great book for beginners but there is something in this book for everyone. Very well documented lots of how-to photos.

This book is very informative and a must have for all those interested in learning to use a Scroll Saw.
I was very pleased with this book and would highly recommend it. It is very thorough and covers all the bases concerning Scroll Saws such as history of the saw, saftey tips, how the saw works and much more useful information.

I haven't touched my Scroll Saw since High School (10+ years). I wanted to fire it up again and do a little more than cutting letters out of plywood. I bought this book primarily because it looked pretty extensive and was recently re-published. It mostly covers technique and has no patterns for stupid schlock like owl napkin holders. This book shows you what you can do with your saw from simple to complex. If you are a beginner or looking to increase your skill, this is a must have.

I highly recommend this book but it is a little disorganized. It appears to have graduated from being a collection of coveted class handouts for MBA's to an almost-book. Its perfectly bound but the fonts are large, uses Power Point graphics, and needs great editing to turn it into a professional book.

That aside, you will find information here that you won't find elsewhere. It is easy to read and the information is easy to apply to your own business, although the book's focus is on evaluating existing (not new) technology companies. I'm glad the author has made it available.

The author assembles critical strategic and financial methodologies and ratios into one book, then shows how they applied to real companies over the last 10 years. This works quite nicely with two small problems for me. First, many of the examples were telecommunications companies where a deep understanding of the technologies was needed to understand the context of problem being highlighted. Secondly, the over-reliance on financial ratios restricts many of the techniques to existing (and not startup) companies.

However, I immediately applied two of the techniques to a new software product. I particularly liked the application of his adjusted Altman's Z Score to finding inflection points. Many of his techniques could work quite well for evaluating existing IPO's for example.

Again, I highly recommend this book.

John Dunbar
Sugar Land, TX

Dr. Nugent's book is a must to read, if you plan to win in business world, especially for people in telecommunications industry. I have been enjoying listening to him in many occassions. Dr. Nugent has provided training and consulting to major telecoms companies such as Ericsson using the tools in his book. This book summarizes all the necessary business tools based on his knowledge and management experience for business and financial analysis. We shall benefit a lot from reading the excellent book.

Frank Pan, MBA MS MS.Ed.
Ericsson Inc.

First of all, I would like to congratulate the author for bringing such a great piece of work to the market. I can't think of a better time to read this book!. I have read this book and am very impressed with the concepts, content organization, clarity and flow.

I have spent two years in the business school while obtaining 50 credit hours and reading 20 books!. I wish we had a course with this book!!. The essence of the tools needed for a successful business is gifted in this book. I would recommend this book for any one who would like to improve their business understanding or dealing with competition. Again I would like to thank and congratulate the author. They say big things come in small packages. Considering the price of this book, it's a great investment. Good luck.

Amidst the flood of literature attempting to explain the demise of the dot.coms, the contraction of the telecom industry and the accounting shenanigans of once reputable companies, few authors have been bold enough to claim that the prudent and diligent manager (investor) could have foreseen these events in time to act. In Plan To Win, Dr. John Nugent contends that managers (investors) not only could have, but should have seen these corrections coming.

Dr. Nugent purports that managerial decisions when imposed on present enviromentals lead to logical, determinable consequences. Discontinuities between strategy and the fundamental drivers of one's business give rise to inflection points. It is these inflection points that signal a shift in the underlying business. Those individuals who correctly identify these shifts stand to lead the product curve and/or business cycle.

Plan To Win is a visionary's toolbox. Through easily understood, real-world examples, the reader learns to apply a variety of tools. Each of Dr. Nugent's tools takes a slightly different cut at analyzing a business. Each tool gives the practitioner a vital piece of information. By combining these disaggregated pieces, it is possible to create a fundamentally rooted, objective picture of a business, its market and future trends. Obviously, the winners are those who hold this blueprint.

In academia, Plan To Win can serve as a valuable supplement to any business course where strategy and business fundamentals are taught. For investors and managers, the lessons, fundamentals outlined and tools presented herein are ignored at risk of great peril.

Sean Shingler
University of Dallas, Graduate School of Management

'Plan to Win' packs a powerful punch of insights in financial analysis, and makes each concept understandable and enjoyable to even the less experienced professional. While several books could have been written to describe each one of the numerous tools and topics presented, John Nugent does a great job at highlighting, with an easy and demystifying writing style, the most relevant points of analytical and operational tools utilized in business today.

Dr. Nugent - strategy consultant, business school professor, and former senior executive of the telecommunications sector - succeeds in accomplishing the arduous task of breaking down both simpler and more complex financial methods into their most essential constituents so that each of them becomes thoroughly digestible even to sensitive "financial stomachs." Dr. Nugent's book is highly recommended for the business student and the business professional, which will both find it a valuable compendium of essential financial concepts as well as a stimulating instrument to implement older and newer analytical tools in order to gain competitive advantage.

'Plan to Win' is particularly useful to understand (or recall) just what kind of business information is relevant from an investor's perspective. In fact, modern-day corporations often incur obligations to disclose their financial statements or, in general, facts related to their performance. However, their financial departments are traditionally adept at presenting information to their maximum advantage. For instance, there can be several ways to exhibit bulging revenues or magnify positive data versus the negative ones. Nonetheless, we all know that looking at bottom-line profits is often a different story.

Adhering to Sir John Templeton's tenet that "fundamentals ALWAYS win out" - Dr. Nugent's draws our attention to the fundamentals of business, on the one hand, as well as to the basic signs of any enterprise's financial health; on the other hand, he shows us what to look for when we are trying to determine the early symptoms of change in a company's performance, and includes real-world dramatic examples like AT&T, Enron, and others.

Upon familiarizing with a few of the methods explained in 'Plan to Win,' some of us might even think, "I can't believe I hadn't thought of that before!" Well, the truth is that most of us do not have the time to devote their entire career to the study of analytical tools, but John Nugent does help by taking away the esoteric aura that often surrounds the best ones and by making each tool presented practically available to anyone with a genuine interest in gaining a competitive edge.

Dr. Michael D. Zincani, MBA
Southern Methodist University