News Services Reviews

Taxi!: Cabs and Capitalism in New York City

Published in Paperback by ILR Press (2008-05)

Author: Biju Mathew

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Average review score:

Uses interactions from the drivers themselves to reveal the history of the taxi business

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-03

New York City taxi drivers work long shifts, seven days a week: most are lease drivers on a daily or weekly contract and until the relatively recent Taxi Workers Alliance was formed, most bore the brunt of bad business. Taxi! comes from Biju Mathew, a long-time organizer of the Alliance, and uses interactions from the drivers themselves to reveal the history of the taxi business. Chapters focus on labor struggles and urban politics in New York as much as on immigrant history and influences on the taxi industry as a whole.

Uses interactions from the drivers themselves to reveal the history of the taxi business

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-03

New York City taxi drivers work long shifts, seven days a week: most are lease drivers on a daily or weekly contract and until the relatively recent Taxi Workers Alliance was formed, most bore the brunt of bad business. Taxi! comes from Biju Mathew, a long-time organizer of the Alliance, and uses interactions from the drivers themselves to reveal the history of the taxi business. Chapters focus on labor struggles and urban politics in New York as much as on immigrant history and influences on the taxi industry as a whole.

Uses interactions from the drivers themselves to reveal the history of the taxi business

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-03

New York City taxi drivers work long shifts, seven days a week: most are lease drivers on a daily or weekly contract and until the relatively recent Taxi Workers Alliance was formed, most bore the brunt of bad business. Taxi! comes from Biju Mathew, a long-time organizer of the Alliance, and uses interactions from the drivers themselves to reveal the history of the taxi business. Chapters focus on labor struggles and urban politics in New York as much as on immigrant history and influences on the taxi industry as a whole.

Uses interactions from the drivers themselves to reveal the history of the taxi business

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-03

New York City taxi drivers work long shifts, seven days a week: most are lease drivers on a daily or weekly contract and until the relatively recent Taxi Workers Alliance was formed, most bore the brunt of bad business. Taxi! comes from Biju Mathew, a long-time organizer of the Alliance, and uses interactions from the drivers themselves to reveal the history of the taxi business. Chapters focus on labor struggles and urban politics in New York as much as on immigrant history and influences on the taxi industry as a whole.

A Mixed Bag

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-03

In the end, this book wasn't what I hoped it would be, but was still worth the read. As a cabbie in Boston, I picked this up hoping to get a feel for the cab business in NY. And as a history buff, I was particularly interested in the promise of a good back-story. Unfortunately, there's very little history here. Despite the book's extensive footnotes section, most of the "history" comes from the memories of a few old-time drivers, and is generally concerned with settling grudges and exposing exploitation. In addition, this book reads like a doctoral thesis in hardcover. "White middle class suburbanites" get almost as much page time as the immigrant drivers. And there's barely a word about the interesting job these drivers have, instead the focus is on their place as it relates to globalization, exploitation of Third World labor, and "neoliberal economic practices." Not exactly what I thought I was getting into.

That being said, even though I'm in Boston and not New York, I can safely say that the subjects of Mr. Mathew's book are not exaggerating, and the tale he tells is true at its core - driving a cab is a tough job, and the driver has to dodge the brokers, the cops, the city and the frequently abusive passengers just to make a basic wage. If you're looking for some scholarly views on the function of immigrant labor in cities, strategies for labor organizing in a diverse workforce, or another reason to distrust Giuliani, this is a great read. If you're looking for a good history of cabs in NYC, or just an interesting peek into the lives of the people who risk life and limb to roam the streets, this isn't it. I'm still waiting for that book.

A final nit-pick: as you'd expect from an organizer for the Taxi Workers Alliance, there's not a single word about the possible role of the drivers in the heat brought down on them. In my view, it's simply irresponsible to ignore the significant number of rude, ignorant, criminal and even dangerous people who drive cabs. If I were given the choice between reforming the lease agreement (an odious situation, to be sure) and cleaning the Boston fleets of the worst drivers, I'd probably boot the drivers. There are issues in the industry that go beyond race, class and economics, and even those issues go much deeper than Mr. Mathews takes them.

Welfare Brat: A Memoir

Published in Paperback by Bloomsbury USA (2006-05-16)

Author: Mary Childers

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Good read, but wish it had more detail.

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-05-08

This is a very good read. The chapters are relatively short so you are able to cart this book to appointments and feel confident that you won't be left mid-chapter. There aren't subtle details that you need to keep track of so if you need to set the book aside for a few days you don't have to worry about suddenly forgetting who a character is or anything like that.

Because she covers six years of her life, some events of the story seemed to be cut short. There is also a lack of detail in some of these events.

She shows a lot of the prejudices and discrimination that she received as someone on welfare such as: "Keening with shame, I no longer wonder why people hiss the word 'welfare' and landlords deny us apartments. We are an infestation (pg 59)."

I really wish she would have given more details about the apartments she lived in, the food she ate, conditions of the neighborhood, etc. She DOES give these details... I just wish there was more!!!

I was also a little disappointed in the way it ended. I hope she comes out with a second memoir that chronicles her college life and after, and also how she and her family got to the Afterward.

Childers Delivers Honest Memoir

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-04-06

Mary Childers delivers an eye-opening account of what it's like to grow up poor. In her distinctive, engaging style of writing, Childers describes what it was like to try to assert her own identity, and initiate her pursuit of academic excellence, even when it was not highly valued by her family.

Vacillating between loving and loathing her large brood of brothers and sisters, Childers describes the process by which she forged a path that was very different from that of her family. Childers' unusual spirit allowed her to achieve academically and socially, however, the author does not leave out the harsh realities of trying to achieve in a world that likes to insist that all it takes to "make it" is hard work, when in reality, the odds are stacked against those in poverty. Despite Childers' sharp intellect and determination, she is still mired in a school system that does little to impart the social capital required to navigate the college application process, or understand how to pay for tuition and so forth (this is indicated when Childers describes the application process while in her senior year of high school).

Throughout the memoir, Childers is working--whether it is taking care of her siblings, or working retail jobs after school. So is mostly everyone else in the Childers household--even Sandy Childers. Despite Sandy being portrayed as a slightly less than likeable mother, she never stops raising her children, never walks away from the responsibility she has to them as a parent. Say what you will about the fact that she was on welfare and had numerous children--unlike the men who helped create Childers' brothers and sisters, Sandy never walked away from her kids.

Overall this is a really engaging book; depending on your own experiences, it can also be very eye-opening. Childers is truthful, and a courageous writer.

Sandy's ashes

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-03

From the beginning of this book I was impressed with Mary's different-ness and singleminded determination to rise above the vicious circle of the welfare existence. She never ceased to impress me with her work ethic and her higher aspirations.

I have to admit I never felt any compassion for Sandy, her mother. Even when Mary reasoned that she had so many siblings because Sandy kept getting pregnant in hopes that this particular guy (whatever guy at the time) would hang around and meet his committments. After two or three times of trying this method and failing, wouldn't any halfway smart woman close her legs or have her tubes tied?

Another reviewer wondered where Mary's mentor was, that usually people like her have someone in her corner offering motivation and help. Not necessarily, though. For Mary to do what she did for herself completely on her own, even in the face of occasional ridicule by her mother, is a testimony to her resolve and will. My husband is another such person, and he had no one in his corner either - the success he's achieved has been completely on his own.

Like that same reviewer, I also felt the end of the story was wrapped up a little too swiftly and neatly. I also felt a little cheated out of further details about her disturbed brother Ralph, such as, what diagnosis did doctors give him? Reading about Ralph in particular broke my heart; he was so clearly neglected and ignored.

Ms. Childers writes in a compelling way, and I appreciated her overall honesty and unglossed account of her childhood.

I've never seen anything like it.

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-12

Many people who overcome poverty are too ashamed to talk about it, or just want to leave it behind. They write autobiographies that gloss it over. Then there are those who milk it for undeserved rewards, romanticizing and embellishing a tough start, as in A Child Called It. Mary Childers seems to have written a completely different kind of book, in the hope that others will understand what it was like not just for her, but for any struggling welfare family.

There's nothing whiny or pleading about Childers' account of her youth, yet I squirmed with discomfort reading it. Too many children to feed and her mother produced another, with her teenaged daughter's boyfriend. Childers as a teenager watching someone else's baby so she could earn enough money for a root canal. Did people really live that way, in America, and recently? Her voice is compelling.

The reason for only 4 stars is the rushed ending. Childers writes, as an adult, of forgiving her mother and believing that she had tried as hard as she could to raise her children well. Bullbleep.

That part was not convincing at all--rather, it sounded like the stuff Childers was forced to say to get people to believe she was two years older in order to get a job. My opinion is that Childers wanted us to believe in her forgiveness just as she wanted people to think she was qualified for jobs she shouldn't have to hold.

And then, why was Mary so different from the rest of her family? In my experience, when a child escapes a bad family there is usually a "compassionate witness," one adult who believes in the child and helps that child to want more. There was no such person in the book, and it is hard to believe there was none in her life. Maybe there was more than one; in any case, no clear reason was given for why Mary Childers wanted to and was able to overcome her beginning.

Just the same, it was a riveting book, one that mostly made me cringe, sometimes made me smile, and always made me think.

A profile in courage

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-02

Even if Mary Childers' childhood was only half as horrific as the one she describes in her memoir, she deserves the Medal of Honor for having the mental and physical courage to transcend her beginnings.

The book is a riveting description of the worst that life on welfare has to offer, but Childers doesn't explain what factors helped her break out of the cycle of poverty. Was it the moral tenants she was exposed to in her Catholic background? A few good teachers? Caring and involved school counselors? Her exposure to "normal" life via The Fresh Air Fund? Or was she just born with "the right stuff"? Her writing displays a chilling lack of introspection and gratitude for those who may have helped her. But maybe that is all part of being a "welfare brat."

Nonetheless, I think this book should be required reading in the schools. Certainly it is a strong argument for federally funded childcare facilities that might help give children of even the most dysfunctional families a glimpse of the possibilities for a better life.

Your Bank Is Ripping You Off: How to Fight Back and Save a Fortune

Published in Paperback by St. Martin's Griffin (1997-02-15)

Author: Edward F. Mrkvicka

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Average review score:

Stay away!

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2000-09-02

This book is riddled with faulty analysis and inaccurate information. The author doesn't understand simple concepts (like the time value of money and the home mortgage interest tax deduction). You're better off reading "The Truth About Money" if you want a good financial guide.

Excellent! Should be required reading for college/H.S.

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 1998-11-17

What a informative book. Where do I click to give a 6 stars rating? I have a limited knowledge of the banking world. I will certainly use the information for my first home purchase. I am so happy he wrote a book like this. He should receive a medal from Consumers' Union.

Perfect introduction to financial institutions

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2001-04-04

I understand that financial analysts or banking professionals may disagree, but the information in this book is priceless to someone who knows little about how banks *really* operate and view the banking customer. After reading this book, I never want to use the "services" of a bank again.

True, i'm often highly suspicious of any institution with ties to the government, but with this book I was finally vindicated of my concerns.

It is safe to say that, to the layperson - someone who isn't biased(works for a bank) - they'll never see the banking system the same again after reading this book. It is a MUST HAVE if you have ever wondered why YOU have to pay (in some cases) THEM for a checking account. After reading this book, my thoughts changed from "$10 is cheap" to "they should be paying ME to let them hold my paychecks." It is also a must is you have ever wondered why you feel submissive to THEM, in dealings with your bank.

I had many "run-ins" with a bank last year, and although it didn't save me the pain from dealing with them (too late, unfortunately), it was an awakening and explanation to their banking practices.

I'll never open a checking or savings account again. It paid for itself in the first few pages.

This book is liberating!!!

Leo - out of the system now.

Banks want you to over draw your account!

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2002-08-18

Great Book!

My favorite, is the fact that the banks invented ATM and debit
cards so that you would accidently overdraw your account. The banks accutually love it when you do that. They get to charge
you for this little error.
Actual cost of overdraft of a check:

Computer Cost: 0.25
Employee's Processing cost: 0.50
Mailing cost of OD notice: 0.32 (not current rate)

Total 1.07

Now is that what they charge you no, they make a tidy profit
about $24.00 if the charge was $25.

He tells you ways to find the best mortgage, how to find an alternative checking account, and better ways to save that just letting the bank hold it for you.

He states how to negotiate with the bank IF you choose to get a loan there. He tells you how points on a loan are like addiditional dealer profit that car dealers charge you for doing nothing!

He also says how most banks' safety deposits can be jimmed with a screw driver and other reasons not to use them.

He gives a few phone numbers on where to purchase mail order checks at half of what the bank charges.

He also gives ways to find out if your bank is safe. But what about the FDIC. He gives reasons why that little FDIC sign at the bank should not be helping you to sleep at night.

IT is a must read for anyone that uses a bank!

There is so much more in the book, this is just the tip of the
iceberg!

IF YOU'RE A BANK CUSTOMER , YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK.

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2001-07-05

This has to be the best book ever written on the subject of consumer banking. It deserves more than five stars. It was given to me as a present from my father with a note that read, "This should be read by every bank customer in America and taught in every school." With that grandiose prelude I was expecting to be disappointed - I wasn't. No matter what the service, it's covered in detail. And most importantly, it's not just what I call a "gripe book." In addition to explaining how we're being ripped off, the author shows us how to fight back. Since I read it I now receive virtually all my banking needs for free instead of being nickel and dimed to death. Last month I purchased a new car. Following the advice in the book I saved over $1,000 on the bank finance and product charges that were first offered to me. I realize now, after reading this book, that banks depend on us (the consumer) not knowing how they play the game - and because we don't understand, and are often intimidated, we are grossly overcharged for services. That's not going to happen to anyone who reads this book. One last thought - this is the first financial book I've ever read that I enjoyed and could completely and totally understand and put into immediate use. As I said, this book deserves more than five stars.

Boards That Make a Difference: A New Design for Leadership in Nonprofit and Public Organizations (J-B Carver Board Governance Series)

Published in Hardcover by Jossey-Bass (1997-05-28)

Author: John Carver

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Average review score:

A must-have for not-for-profits!

Helpful Votes: 12 out of 18 total.
Review Date: 1999-03-29

This book was the core piece of a radical change in our board room. It led us down the path we knew we wanted to go but didn't know how to get there. His model for board room organization could revolutionize boards of companies in transition, like those of the rural electric program in America. It's a road map for where you already know in your heart that you want to go.

Essential for public boards seeking to lead strategically

Helpful Votes: 44 out of 44 total.
Review Date: 1999-01-26

After 5 years on a local Board of Education I finally found a book that describes everything I know is wrong with board management practices in schools and nonprofit organizations. But that is the easy part. Carver offers sound alternatives to current practices that put the responsibility and the capability for strategic leadership right where it belongs--on the board.

I winced as I read Carver's description of reactive boards trapped in the "approval syndrome" in which boards rely on staff to bring issues and recommendations to them for approval. This pervasive practice not only takes board members out of the driver's seat, but it confuses the lines of accountability between the board and the CEO for the organization.

Carver offers a framework for changing all that by forcing the board to rethink all of its policy with an eye toward board-determined policies that operate at the highest level possible. In Carver's approach only four types of policies need to be set by the board: 1) "Ends" policies (board expectations), 2) Executive Limitations (the "don'ts" for the organization), 3) Board process policies and 4) Board-CEO relationship policies. *Everything* you need to be involved in can be fit into one of these four categories.

Want to learn how to stop working at the staff level and how to help your organization find a true sense of direction? Carver's book offers practical and straightforward ways of getting there.

Idealistic

Helpful Votes: 71 out of 80 total.
Review Date: 1999-06-26

The carver style of governance is a tad idealistic and perhaps overly optimistic. I have read everything Dr Carver has written concerning this field and enjoy this material at an academic level. But when it comes to operationalizing this model in boardrooms I've seen it fail time and time again. Not to say that the model is flawed because in fact the model is normative and conceptually complete. However it doesn't capture that element of reality from which, in my experience, the model requires - practicality and real-world application. Dr Carver's notion that Boards can do without Finance and Audit Committees is very naive. Most consultants from the chartered accountant genre are saying the complete opposite. In fact most government policy initiatives are moving toward more control of financial affairs of organizations for boards from charts of accounts to fiscal policy. So I don't think the elimination of Finance and Audit Committees is realistic nor is it a terribly bright suggestion. I guess my only crticism is that the carver model is far to idealistic and philosophical for a practical application in the form Dr Carver suggests. Sorry but a hybrid model of traditional Board governance and the carver model may work given the commitment required from directors to follow-though on everything suggested in that system of governance,

Very Helpful

Helpful Votes: 8 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-31

The world is full of experts at what is wrong with the things that we do. Dr. Carver has a rock-solid, well thought out suggestion concerning how to do it right. One reviewer complained that Dr. Carver's suggestions are not realistic. Right is not often realistic, but right is always right. It's far better to start with an ideal and compromise from that point than to capitulate from the outset. Boards that Make a Difference is well worth reading.

Accessible, Codified Common Sense

Helpful Votes: 9 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 1999-01-24

Mr. Carver presents a very readable way of looking at how governing boards should work. His theories are logical and his arguments pursuasive. He offers board members an intellectual framework to consider how their organizations are running. The book is prescriptive, but not preachy. I was very surprised to find it sensible after hearing so much hype from "converts" to his method.

Diseases (Nurses Reference Library)

Published in Hardcover by Springhouse Pub Co (1987-02)

Author: Matthew Cahill

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Average review score:

A MUST HAVE!!!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-09

I am currently using this book for clinicals and it is great. It easy to understand and it has many pictures, which is helpful if you are a visual person. Everything is laid out in an organized fashion (Description --> Causes --> Complications --> Assessment --> Diagnostics --> Treatment --> Nsg Diagnosis --> Nursing Interventions). Invaluable resource for nursing students and nurses!

Lippincott Medical Terms and Abbreviations

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-29

I bought this book because I have no medical training or background and am currently taking an on-line medical transcription program that I have many more questions that the programs offers materials on. I was looking basically for a medical terms "for dummies" and a book that with a lot of medical abbreviations. The course tells me to make my own list and as I don't have a lot of time, I figured I would be better off buying a book. If this is what you are looking for, this book is not for you! It offers some basic terminology and I found nine out of ten times, I couldn't find what I was looking for and resorted back to Dorland's Medical Dictionary.

The one thing and only reason I would recommend this book, is at the back of the book are Roots, prefixes, and suffixes and their meaning in an alpha sort. It would be nice if they would have told the reader which category the word falls under, but I have that down pretty good now.

an easy read for diseases!

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-12

This book has allowed me to review a disease with ease. Only the needed information is in this handy book. All of the dieases are alphabetized for a quick reference. I particularly find helpful the disease definition, the brief pathophysiology of the disease and the signs and syptoms. With the help of this book, my nurse processing paper work is completed much faster! This book should be recommended for all nursing courses and nurses as well!

Highly Recommended!

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-04-28

This is an excellent resource for the new or "seasoned" nurse. Covers just about every disease we are going to encounter in our work. A lot more portable than carrying around a med-surg book and a lot more succinct that a med-surg book. Gives you "just the facts, ma'am!". Provides a summary of the disease and nursing considerations, treatment, and other practical infor for caring for pts. Highly recommended for the student or practicing nurse. I have it on my PDA. If you are going to get the software version, get the Skyscape software version, not Mobipocket. Skyscape software is much more user-friendly in terms of manuevering around each entry. Skyscape uses a tabbed format for access of the various types of info within each entry (such as Summary of the disease, nursing considerations, treatment and tests, pt teaching etc), whereas Mobipocket is basically just an electronic reader. You must cursor through the entire entry until you find what you are looking for. I can recommend this by experience and I bought several of my first reference books in the Mobipocket format and have since taken them off my PDA and replaced them with Skyscape versions. A major waste of money, but the Mobipocket versions just took too long to find the info I wanted. Skyscape allows much quicker access.

Just What The Nurse Ordered!!

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-10

If you need a quick reference to know the diseases, pathophysiology, incidences, treatments, and nursing interventions, this is the book for you!! My professors think that I did some real searching for all of this information, and here it is, in the palm of my hand. Take advantage!

The First 90 Days in Government: Critical Success Strategies for New Public Managers at All Levels

Published in Hardcover by Harvard Business School Press (2006-07-30)

Authors: Peter H. Daly, Michael Watkins, and Cate Reavis

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Average review score:

Just like the title - this book was CRITICAL to my SUCCESS!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-23

I originally ordered this book because I thought it would help out my husband in his new job, but it turned out it was a better fit for me, and I read it cover to cover three times!

Starting a new job as a coordinator for a state athletic organization, this book has been a lifesaver! It has fit my situation perfectly and the advice is always right on track. This has good info for anyone who reports to several different people with somewhat conflicting goals, and has a vocal public constituency, even if it's not a government job per se.

Thanks for the assistance for the great start to my new job. I'm now 6 mo. in and it is going very well. I credit much of that to the organizational tips from this book.

In response to the review that says a person should have all this figured out BEFORE taking the job, that would be ideal. However, I think my situation may be typical - the entire picture is often not laid out until after job is actually begun. I think that is especially true when it comes to learning the office politics and "who's who" in the job. Those are in-house secrets are are not routinely shared in the interview. My bosses, although friendly, gave me precious little hard info before the hire. It is very much a "create your own job description" within the framework of the larger goals of the organization.

I had to actively work during those first few months to flesh out many of the concepts mentioned in this book. I would have stepped on many land mines in the process if I hadn't been forewarned.

Also, Shaping the Game (Negotiation skills) book by Watkins is excellent as well! I bought both at the same time.

Hot tips for rapid transition and success in your new government job

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-28

Your first 90 days in a new public management position can be the most critical time of your career. Few people move into new jobs without an occasional gaffe, but the important thing is to weather the transition and get your agency or department headed in the right direction. Peter H. Daly, Michael Watkins and Cate Reavis' book should prove a major asset for anyone entering government service, or anyone who has received a promotion and is moving into the big corner office with all the headaches that come with it. The book could benefit from a more detailed discussion on coping with the uniquely dysfunctional character of most government bureaucracies, but we strongly recommend its rational approach. It is particularly useful in describing pitfalls to avoid.

Used for coaching purposes

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-10

Useful in working with those new to the public sector environment or in a new managerial position within a government agency.

Management tools

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-09

The book was an excellent review for me. I have been in management for over 19 years and recently undertook a start up assignment. I was able to go to specific chapters for refreshing my memory.

It's the 90 days BEFORE taking the job that really count

Helpful Votes: 10 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-10

[Updated February 2008] This book is a partial rewrite of the earlier 90 Days book that applies to commercial ventures. While the initial scenario on page 1 and 2 are right on the mark, the rest of the book basically says: define the role and mission, gather the support and resources, and then go off and achieve. Or, as the initial scenario suggests, you may find yourself marginalized and drifting.

The 90-day approach will probably work if the agency you are joining has a good focus on its mission, a reasonably good management environment, and some things that it thinks need to get done in a bit of a hurry. Sort of like a capable and nimble private sector company. Of course, there are some agencies like that; maybe even a lot. But not all, by any means, and if the agency you are in is not one of the nimble ones then you need to take a completely different approach to the first 90 days. Experience in several real examples of both types of agency over a couple of decades offers the following advice: make sure you know which kind of agency you are in before hitting the after-burners. You may find that you have not properly calculated the back-blast area, and rather than soaring off to a glittering height you will just turn yourself into a crispy critter. You can recover from a slow start; you may not be able to recover from being perceived as a crazy person engaged in suicide missions.

As the book says, to be successful you must know what are the important things, how does my boss operate, and what is the organizational culture? If you haven't figured these things out before taking the job, and government hiring practices often do short-change the interviewing process, then you had better try to do so as soon as you come on board - but it will not be easy. Thanks to the never-ending cycle of meetings, bloody meetings, you may well get less time, and far less direct or sincere conversations, with your boss and peers in your first 90 days on the job than you will during the 2 or 3 hours of interview process. So, if you can, get as much of the STAR process done as possible before taking the job. The upside of the currently overloaded background check process is that once you are selected as the candidate you may have 2 or 3 months - hey! 90 days! - in which to talk more with your future boss and peers.

Unfortunately, having what you might consider to be an "open" or useful discussion may be a bit tricky. First, a sincere discussion of the REAL constraints and objectives may in fact be taboo - if anyone even really knows what they are. Having no bottom line, objectives in government agencies can be pretty vague, and the laws that the Congress writes for agencies to carry out are often deliberately vague and self-contradictory. Second, and you may have a hard time with this coming from the private sector, often failure IS an option; the unspoken strategy may well be to fail on purpose so as to get more money.

Third, you must understand that in many government situations there are few, if any, TRULY pressing deadlines, even if they ARE enshrined in law or Presidential orders. Not too many dates will get anyone fired (it is not like missing a major new product roll-out or failing to turn in a major contract proposal). If there are any real glass balls, your staff and boss will be clear on that, and your staff will know how to meet the need and will be working on it already. The last thing you need to do is disrupt that.

Sometimes your managers are very clear on things that need to happen quickly. Note the plural: make sure there are at least two levels of commitment to the "goal", because even in government, managers and executives come and go, leaving you stranded on the beach with their objectives. "Very clear" and "commitment" means "calls the other stakeholders in to emphasize how important this thing is and they need to cooperate with the new manager in making it happen", and otherwise displaying actual commitment and investment of political capital, rather than platitudes or giving you 1:1 instructions (which nobody else knows about). If you get that clear commitment, by all means go with the 90-days-to-success route in this book.

But if that does not happen, then you are better served to watch and wait. If the agency doesn't seem to share your focus on pressing needs, it may well be that these are not seen as serious goals. If the office does not really want you to go in a direction, regardless of what they may have said to the contrary, you will hurt only yourself trying to achieve progress at private-sector speed. Even if the environment is somewhat supportive, you will still be lucky to do in 90 weeks what you would have thought you could do in 90 days - and the funny thing is, nobody will expect you to do even that much.

So, if the office you are in does not seem to have any pressing goals and deadlines, it is entirely possible that the best thing to do for the first 90 days will seem to you to be VERY LITTLE. Not exactly nothing; just don't press forward relentlessly to accomplish goals that are in fact illusory. Better to spend time meeting with the people you can assume you will have to interact with, and enlist them as your friends for battles you have yet to identify. Over time you will find out what (if anything) is considered important.

So, what about the book? Perhaps this book ought to be entitled "The 90 Days Before Getting Into a Public Sector Job". The STAR system is ideal for structuring your half of the discussion to learn about the styles of the existing executives and what it is exactly that they think you will be expected to do. If you get solid and consistent answers to the STAR questions then you might be dealing with a mission-driven organization (in which case, follow the steps in this book). If you don't seem to get any traction on the STAR process during the interview period, and you cannot seem to get much more clarification in the 90 days before you do come on board, then maybe your new situation will be more political than performance-oriented. By political I do not mean "partisan" but "driven in a direction that is defined only by the current status of shifting internal coalitions". In that case, you might rethink whether this is the way you like to work, and if not, bale out before it is too late. Then you can use this book again while assessing your next interviews.

Assuming you still want the political job - some people thrive on this - you will only drive yourself (and everyone else) crazy trying to define a plan and solid objectives to strive for. In that case, forget the STAR system and focus on the coalition-building activities discussed all-too-briefly in this book. A small investment in a different book ("The Prince" comes to mind) might also be handy.

If it is too late, and you are a just-get-the-job-done person who has wandered into an office-politics environment, then let us hope that by the time you figure it out you haven't annoyed too many people by trying to get impossible things done. Then it is perfectly safe to sit back, take a deep breath, and evaluate. Take all the time you need. 90 days is a blink of an eye to these people. Chat, visit, whatever you have to do to figure out what value people will LET you add and then work out how to do that. If this ends up being more confining than your personal energy or professional ethic can stand, then you might have to consider moving on to an organization that is more in tune with what motivates you. But - hey - didn't you learn anything? Not too fast. Survive your probationary period so you can be a "Status" candidate. Then, when you find another agency, or an office within your agency, that may better suit your style, you'll be eligible to apply, and you can use this book to guide your points of interest in those interviews.

Mind Control, World Control

Published in Paperback by Adventures Unlimited Press (1998-02)

Author: Jim Keith

List price: $14.95

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Still Relevant

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-09

This book was published in 1997 by Adventures Unlimited Press, and while I have yet to read the book through, make some observations.

It's a nice, chunky sized book, crammed with information. It has the feel about it of struggling small publisher production; inelegant fonts, crowded text pages and poor black-and-white reproductions. But don't let that put you off; this is perfectly legitimate in presentation for the subject matter it holds.

Of the title, Mind Control, World Control: The Encyclopedia of Mind Control -- well, it is not an encyclopedia. A better word, by far, would have been "compendium", because there are no alphabetical references to the topics, they just blend in, one after the other, spilling out one after the other in tightly crammed chapters. But the text is not badly written, its style being matter-of-fact journalism. If you want info, it is here.

Chapter 1 THINGS TO COME
Chapter 2 LODGE BROTHERS & LITTLE HITLERS
Chapter 3 TAKING THE "PSYCHE" OUT OF PSYCHOOGY
Chapter 4 HEY TEACHERS. LEAVE THOSE KIDS ALONE!
Chapter 5 TAVISTOCK
Chapter 6 SHOCKTROOPS
Chapter 7 GREY EMINENCE
Chapter 9 ENTER THE CIA
and so on, FUTURE SHOCK, CREATING CULTS, HAARP, MK ULTRA, MONARCH, ALIENS FROM EARTH -- all the way to Chapter 34.

Each chapter comes with references at the end, so you can look up where the information comes from. There is no Index though, so it is impossible to follow a sequence, or subject titles as in an encyclopedia, and that is what I thought was coming. (The best remedy for this is to take one's coloured markers and mark and note as one goes, making the information more personal and more easily remembered.)

All that aside, this is a book I am happy to have in my collection as it serves the purpose of research, and is historical. It is a product of intense research in a time before you could google. Many of the topics have been ridiculed as paranoia or "conspiracy" over the last decades.
But we have entered far different waters of alertness, very recently.
For this, one may review the contents now, with different eyes.

I Believe This

Helpful Votes: 19 out of 23 total.
Review Date: 2004-09-23

although I hate to admit it because it is not a popular belief to hold. I remember listening to the Candy Jones radio show in which she was very cautious to mention that this happened to her, partially because of damage to her reputation as a radio talk show host and partially out of fear of the governmental types who did this to her without her knowledge or consent.
I am so glad that this author has the courage to bring this subject to the forefront during a time in which our world is being held hostage by the dictatorship of big business.

Have your aluminum foil ready!!!

Helpful Votes: 20 out of 20 total.
Review Date: 1999-03-11

Mr. Keith does an excellent job of demonstrating how the technology to simulate and/or control one's mind exists, and has been in use for years. Great chapter on supposed alien abductions.

Uncle Sam's Asylum

Helpful Votes: 21 out of 21 total.
Review Date: 2004-12-30

I read this in 1999 and found it to be an accurate primer for those who have long suspected that things in America aren't quite 'right'. Having undergone 30+ years of non-consensual experimentation, harassment, stalking and other crimes here in the US, I can recommend this book to others who may just be coming to the realization that they, too, are under attack.

For a more up-to-date view of the new America, consider looking at the material at www.raven1.net, www.mindjustice.org or http://aches-mc.org.

It's later than you think, so start thinking now. This book can be a good place to start.

Mind control, World absolute control

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-05

This book is one of the best I had read on the subject.
It covers a wide range of topics, easy to follow and
timely presented. From that book, one can pursue
more specifics explanations with more specialized books
like "Angels don't play that HAARP" and so on.

Mom, you're fired

Published in Paperback by Scholastic Book Services (1981)

Author: Nancy K Robinson

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Average review score:

Mom, You're Fired

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-07

Tina is embarrassed by her mother's actions and clothes. Tina wishes her mom was like her friend's mom. A new girl moves into the neighborhood, and Tina tells her that her mother is really her babysitter! One lie leads to another. Tina finally goes too far and a mother/ daughter discussion takes place. A great book for parents and children.

Mom, You're Fired

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-05-05

Cute, and hardly a brain bender, Mom, You're Fired is a good title for the 9-12 age group (more 9 than 12). Every one of us will recognize ourselves in Tina and some of us will recognize ourselves in her mom.

Tina's mom is so embarrassing. She doesn't dress as nicely as Melissa's mother. And she sings - in public! Tina's lunches even embarrass her. So when she meets a new girl, she tells her that her mother is her babysitter and Tina begins a trail of lies she has to struggle to maintain. How it unravels is fairly predictable, but it's worthwhile.

Nice message without being too soap-box-ish. Robinson does an excellent job of telling a story with a moral without beating the reader about the head with it. This is the first book I've read by her, and I look forward to finding more.

Entertaining and insightful

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-03-14

This was a big hit with me when I was a boy, showing that it can reach across gender lines to appeal to boys and girls who can empathize with the idea of being embarrassed by one's parents.

The action follows the misadventures of Tina Steele, who is so ashamed of her sometimes-wacky mom that she tells her visiting friend that the woman in her home is actually her babysitter. This and a handful of embarrassments lead to a climax that teach Tina that lying to her friends is not a solution, and that her mother has feelings, too.

The writing is straightforward, and the encounters have a certain amount of humor in them, but are not played up for big laughs. This is mostly a novel that will help children to think of their parents in a new way, without coming off as preachy.

Does your mother embarrass you?

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2001-06-09

From the back cover of the book:

Mom, You're Fired!

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-03-07

The book, Mom, You're Fired!, by Nancy K. Robinson, is an exciting book about the relationship between Tina and her mother. A lot of children go through embarrassing mothers and this book tells about how Tina deals with it.

Weather it's at home, at the grocery store, at a parent-teacher conference, or even when a friend is over, Tina's mother has ways of embarrassing her. She dresses weird, she sings in public, and does all other kinds of typical embarrassing-mother-things. I think that Tina can be selfish at times, and cares too much about what other people think. Her mother is the opposite. She'll do anything for Tina and couldn't care less about what people think of her. I think her mother is a very caring mother but at the same time does her own thing. Tina's best friend Melissa, is rude, selfish, and stuck up. I didn't like her at all. Tina has some problems with her friends, and her mother is always there for her. What I liked best about the book was how Tina dealt with they way her friends treated her. I didn't like how Tina treated her mother though. It was really rude. This book teaches a lot about treating your parents with respect. The ending was typical but I liked it.

The does a good job with keeping the reader interested and not giving too many details. The book was fairly easy to understand and didn't have big words at all. Because of the plot, this book is great for ages 10-16. I would recommend this book because so many kids can relate to it.

Monkey Suits: A Novel

Published in Paperback by AuthorHouse (2003-08-06)

Author: Jim Provenzano

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A lot of flaws, but a lot to like in an engaging read

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-05-22

"Monkey Suits" is ensemble piece that, in some ways, reads like a set of overlapping short stories. Whereas Provenzano's "Pins" departed from some typical conventions of gay "coming of age" fiction, "Monkey Suits" occupies more familiar territory. The story focuses on a group of "cater waiters" in the era after the initial onslaught of AIDS. It's a coming of age piece among young post-college men stuck in the world of upscale catering--a little more lucrative than temping, and a bit more glamorous than entry level office work, but a dead end from which one hopes at least some of the guys can escape.

The nominal protagonist is Lee, although he is probably the least developed of the ensemble. Early on, he is described as an airhead; later he comes across as timid and anxious; and finally, he emerges as an activist of sorts. The various pieces of his personality aren't really pulled together and his initial interest in activism seems more a matter of his attraction to fellow waiter, Kevin, than anything else. Even if Lee is a nice guy who flies under most people's radar and needs to be pulled along by the flow of things, his character requires more development than occurs here. We know more about the other characters backstories, while all we know is that Lee comes from a college town in Indiana. We don't know if he's from the gown or the town or whether he or his parents ever had expectations beryond waiterhood. The counterpoint to Lee is his ex-boyfriend Brian, the exteremely handsome, very manipulative guy that most people want to have, but also come to hate. Rounding out the cast are Ritchie, the basically straight artist, his musician girlfriend, Brian's new boyfriend--Ed, and Marcos who is something of a diva-ish mother hen for Lee. Later, we meet Cal, a stunningly beautiful man, who becomes the real love of Lee's life. Other characters include a well-intentioned socialite and her husband who is a closeted, kinky, and homophobic political conservative.

The story captures the later years of the New York that was chronicled and lampooned in Spy magazine. This was the New York of "The Donald", Leona Hemsley ,and the worst sorts of excess. The book also focuses on AIDS activism and issues of class. The efforts at finding metaphors for the servile life of the waiters is a bit forced, especially given their largely middle class to upper middle class backgrounds. The AIDS activism seems a bit muted and fails to communicate the truly intense anger and the level of theatre that came with ACT-UP. The dopey narcissism that sometimes came with the guerilla theatre also is missing. The anxiety about AIDS is a mix between the complacency that came later and the concern about evety act that was more typical of the mid-80s. In that respect the book captures its era very well.

I've emphasized the flaws, but the writing makes up for most of them and the book is ultimately a very rewarding read. It's humorous and there are many insightful looks at human life and gay men. The characters are, in their different ways, likeable and engaging--even Brian. As with "Pins", Provenzano ties things up a little too quickly and neatly. A novel can leave us wondering more than a short story, a column, or an essay, and that seems to be where Provenzano has the most trouble.

Monkey Suits Serves up a full platter...

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-02-10

In Jim Provenzano's second novel he delivers a very personal view of an important part of America's history be you gay or straight. This is New York in the 80's. Don't mistake this for a history lesson though- it's a novel and he also gives you humor, passion, drama and some very funny details that mirror the absurdity and lack of humanity as people in this country tried to turn a blind eye on a real problem. At the same time for some people a very real problem was which side to serve the entrée. I whole-heartedly recommend this book.

Waiters with voices

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-03-26

This is an engaging story of activism in the early days of AIDS. But that's only the backdrop: it's really more the story of how lives can change suddenly and dramatically. The setting, mostly, is the upscale world of New York diners, who treat the gay waiters like their servants. The guys cope with the advent of this strange new disease and the new out-there protest group (ACT-UP) that appears.

The main character, Lee, is attracted to this vocal, policy-changing mob, and feels like with social activism, he might have found his passion in life. Other characters are equally colorful: Brian, who tries life as a hustler; a club-hopper boy, a bi-curious sculptor, and more.

It's a colorful, detailed look at a moment in time in our history--with all the laughs, tears and drama you'd expect.

Men in Black

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2003-11-20

What was it like to be an out gay man in New York City just as the AIDS activist group ACT UP became popular? And what's it like to serve dinner to the wealthy who ignored the AIDS crisis while struggling with your own growing anger?

This is what author Provenzano explores in an ensemble novel about a group of waiters, some of whom ignore the crisis, others who work within the echelons of upscale servants before abandoning that world.

While not as impassioned, deeply symbolic and poetic as his first novel, 'Pins,' he does weave amusing metaphors of Egyptian culture (and Anubis/dogs as well), portraying Manhattan as a slave culture of sorts. The handsome, gay men in the book have their lives intermingling.

Chapters shift mostly from one guy to another, with a few asides for a sarcastic yet humane portrayal of a socialite who means well, but becomes the subject of a bumbled protest because of her homophobic husband.

While the depiction of a Marianne Williamson-type "faith healer" doesn't work as a parody (the quoted "God Did Not Create AIDS, therefore AIDS Does not Exist" was actually one of her obtuse mantras), it seems to be a critique in contrast to the eventual activist stance of the main character, Lee.

With its rich detail, based on obvious experience in both worlds, Provenzano's narration takes on a dishy character all its own, extolling the excess. Urban and urbane, the humor is sometimes sidetracked by too-brief touching moments; the waiters stopping to hear a mourning co-worker play at a piano, one character's coming out as HIV-positive under a Central Park snowfall. Yet it captures an era now lost, and makes one wonder who among these tuxedoed men may have survived.

The Waiter World

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2005-03-09

The problem with this novel is that of many second novels; it is not as good as the amazing PINS, Mr. Provenzano's first novel. While the author wrote about the world of high school wrestling teams in PINS, here he writes about the waiter world (thus the name MONKEY SUITS since those who carry food to our tables usually are clad in those uncomfortable suits with cummerbunds). It's certainly not a bad novel and is an easy read. It just doesn't have the passion, at least for me, that his first one did. Set in Manhattan in the late 1980's-- The elder Bush is elected president during the course of events-- the novel follows the lives of several gay "cater" waiters and one mostly straight one, Ritchie, who-- whether intentional or not on the part of the author-- comes across as one of his most endearing characters. There are other characters to care about as well: Kevin, for one, who is active in ACT-UP when he isn't waiting tables. But many of the other people aren't very sympathetic. They work for the people, high society types, who treat them badly even while raising money for AIDS. They do not lift a finger to help themselves-- unless you count the occasional passive agressive spitting in someone's food. And the use of feminine pronouns to refer to men is way past overdone. Additionally, the scene at the AIDS benefit at the Metropolitan Museum degenerates into slapstick. I thoroughly expected a food fight. Finally, at two different places in the novel the author inserts a page of quotations at the end of chapters (pages 108 and 165) that just seem to float. I have no idea what that's all about.

MONKEY SUITS is far better than a lot of contemporary "gay" novels and certainly covers an area not usually written about. It's probably unfair to expect this novel to be as fantastic a story as PINS. Mr. Provenzano obviously is capable of writing very fine stories and most likely will do it again. I'll read them cheerfully.

Multiple Sclerosis: A Guide for the Newly Diagnosed (2nd Edition)

Published in Paperback by Demos Medical Publishing (2001-12-15)

Authors: Nancy J. Holland, T. J. Murray, and Stephen C., Ph.D. Reingold

List price: $21.95

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Average review score:

Quick, informative read for those who need to know...

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-07-27

I am still undergoing the trauma of being diagnosed. I am in the situation I am sure many of those with MS all go through, some doctors positive I have MS, some not so sure, going through all the testing for it and have some come back positive and some come back negative (for now at least). It's a very frustrating position to be in, not just for the person directly involved, but for the family to be in.

As I spent 4 years in med school for Neuroscience, you would think I would know everything, but not so. The area is so large now, that they just barely touch on MS, and then more on the advanced stages and dementia possibilities in it (don't jump to conclusions...I am not positive MS causes dementia, just they speculate with no absolute proof). So when this possibility hit me within the last year of agonizing pins-and-needles sensations first in feet and then going up to my hands, I was desperate for information.

This is a pretty good book. The authors know what they are talking about. They don't talk 'down' to the readers, they try to meet their needs for specific information on specific problems, give answers or places to go for answers. One thing I needed was to be able to show my husband some of this information that coincided with what I was telling him. MS is not a very visible disease at it's onset unless it is acute. It's hard to show your family you are in pain when there is nothing to see. Now when I start falling in front of them for no reason...then they start paying attention.

Sometimes people have to go to books and Internet to get answers because their blasted physicians aren't forthcoming and too often they are so busy shuttling patients in and out that door in order to make money, they forget the patient as an individual. One thing to stress, this book doesn't have all the answers, and everyone who undergoes MS has different symptomologies so they cannot possibly cover everything. But this book is a good place to start.

Karen Sadler,
Science Education,
University of Pittsburgh

Chapters spotlight new advances in clinical management

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-03-21

Now available in a newly revised and updated second edition, Multiple Sclerosis: A Guide For The Newly Diagnosed is a book collaboratively written by National Multiple Sclerosis Society vice presidents Dr. Nancy J. Holland (Clinical Programs), Dr. Stephen C. Reingold (Research Programs), and Dr. T. Jock Murray (head of the MS Clinic, Dalhousie University, Halifax) and specifically designed for those who have just learned that they have MS, -- as well as their family and friends. Chapters spotlight new advances in clinical management that help people with MS lead better and more productive lives than ever before. Chapters also give a plain overview in layman's language of the cause of multiple sclerosis, coping with the disease's effects, employment issues and much more. Multiple Sclerosis is a most thoughtful presented, usefully formatted, and informatively recommended guide for the non-specialist general reader.

great introduction!

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-09

this book is an excellent introduction to the topic of m.s. it provides a nice summary of ms, diagnosis, cause, treatment, coping, employment issues, treatment / research. the glossary at the end is nice to look up basic questions. the suggested readings and resources at the end of the book are also very helpful. my neuorologist gave this to me to read at the time of diagnosis (after i had already read two dozen books on the topic). my wife found this book helpful. i think that this is an excellent book to purchase, used, if you can find it. there are some books available that provide much broader and deeper coverage, but this fills a niche and is well written. recommended as a good introduction.

Up-to-date and in-depth

Helpful Votes: 15 out of 15 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-11

With my wife's recent diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), I found myself scrambling around, looking for resources. This book is an excellent resource, one that is well worth consulting first! This second edition was published in 2002, and written by three prominent physicians specializing in MS, which means that it is up-to-date and in-depth.

There are nine chapters in this book. Chapter one explains what MS is and how it is diagnosed. Chapter two looks at the potential causes of MS. Chapter three is an excellent look at the treatments currently available. Chapter four contains practical advice on living with MS, while chapter five gives advice on coping with the disease, and chapter six discuses employment issues. Chapter seven is a hope-bringing chapter on current research into MS, while chapter eight discuses clinical trials. And finally, chapter nine is a short discussion on what your Multiple Sclerosis Society can do for you.

As a person caught up in the life of a Multiple Sclerosis sufferer, I must say that I found this book to be an excellent resource. I highly recommend this to those newly diagnosed, and to their loved ones.

Not worth it. Too little info

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2003-04-21

I bought this book after reading the awesome reviews here. But it has disappointed me. Did not find anything new. Info is all too basic and you can find this by visiting couple of good web sites like WebMD.

I recommend "Multiple Sclerosis - The questions you have and the Answeres you need" instead of this. It has very exhaustive info of all different areas that a person interested in MS should know about.

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