Insight Books

This is a really nice little book with a quality binding that is a perfect affordable wedding gift for anyone you know. It contains the complete text of Song of Songs in the new Broadman Standard Translation. Also, it has many passages and quotes about love from different writers throughout the ages. It is the perfect affordable gift to give or receive. It is surprising that it isn't more widely known. The flip side of that is that it will be a gift that your friends will not receive from anyone else.

Rabbi Ze'ev Leff is a well- known teacher of Torah in Israel.In this work he presents a commentary on each Parsha. His commentary makes an effort to present moral lessons which can be relevant to the reader today.
Here for instance are his closing words on Parshat VaYeshev:

" It is incumbent upon us to learn from the sale of Yosef the devastating effect of jealousy and hatred, even in its subtlest forms and even in the greatest of people, so that we can strive to conduct ourselves in a manner that will cause us to merit seeing the ultimate reunion of Yosef and his brothers , when Mashiach ben Yosef will be sent as a harbinger of Mashiach ben David. "

And here is his commentary on Parshat Balak:

The followers of Balaam inherit Gehinnom.Some explain that their way of life makes this world a Gehinnom. People whoknow only how to criticize and find fault create Gehinnom for everyone-themselves as well as others.Conversely, one who has a good eye to counterbalance the evil eye, creates a Gan-Eden for others and for himself."

This is a Torah commentary rich with relevant moral lessons, and is highly recommended.

Since I wrote the article, I think it is quite good! :-)
Is best read in conjunction with my article from "Small Wars & Insurgencies" journal, "Pushtuns, Leadership, Tribalism, Islam..."

S/F, Vern

A systematic introduction to the development of insight through meditation. It covers ethical foundations, all aspects of concentration, including the jhanas and the four foundations of mindfulness (contemplation of body, feelings, states of mind and mind objects)-and the stages of realization of wisdom. Included is the role of the teacher, as well as the subjects of meditation and their appropriateness to different practicioners. A scholarly, clear and comprehensive commentary.

Financial advisors of all disciplines will benefit from this book because it offers hundreds of excellent ideas that can boost overall business productivity. Some of them you may already be using. Ms. Branco will probably offer an unusual twist to make them more productive. Some techniques you may have forgotten about. This book will remind you. Finally, evcn thought I have over 30 years in the business, there were a few ideas that I had never thought about. In any case, this is a good book to purchase and refer to on a regular basis.

Having trained over 50,000 financial advisors myself, I can say, without qualification, that all advisors will benefit from this book. It's a reference manual for anyone on the retail sales side of the financial services business. Checklists, stories, numerous "how to's", fill the pages.

I've recommended this book to some of my coaching clients, and will recomend it within the courses that I teach. Honestly, I'll also be using it as an idea generator for my own business. I highly recommended it.

These photos of Patti Smith have been called some of the most beautiful portraits ever taken of her. The book chronicles the early evolution of the "high priestess of punk" in pictures and story by her friend and photgrapher, Frank Stefanko. As an "American Artist", Patti's story follows an amazingly talented and multifaceted performer who moves from a small town in Jersey to the the Big Apple, where she hones her talents and finds her voice. She has become an icon for other female artists to emulate.

I find this book by Bernard Marr a masterpiece for any one interested in the field of intellectual capital. Marr systematically and thoroughly walks the reader through the broad spectrum of constructs that form part of this multi-disciplinary research field (economics, strategy, accounting, human resources, information technology, etc.). The target audience of this book is anybody interested in the field of intellectual capital, from readers relatively novel in the field, to researchers. Marr has done a terrific job in putting together this book with contributions from top experts in intellectual capital, bridging the gap between the academic and the practitioner's worlds. I enjoyed the book in its entirety, but I found the last chapter particularly enlightening, in that Marr offers an interdisciplinary overview of the evolution of intellectual capital. The chapter is the first published document I have come across that attempts to create a holistic understanding of the subject, bringing together the different perspectives. I am hopeful that this book will further enhance awareness across many related disciplines, and therefore open doors for future research cross-fertilization and collaboration. As an executive, I also highly recommend this book to anyone interested in furthering his or her thinking in a field that is critical to every business.

This map is really convenient. The scale is 1:2,470,000. It is laminated to resist tearing and dirt, and it folds extremely easy. There are not many travel maps of Peru available but this one is worthwhile.

We usually prefer the EyeWitness series of guidebooks for first impressions of a new destination. The next Peru (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE) was released while we were in Peru (it arrived the day before we got home), and we purchased this "Insight Guide" as something of a second choice.

We've both now read through it, and I can report that it seems to be as good as any travel guide we've seen in the EyeWitness series. One strength is that the articles are basically signed by the contributors; there is a section in the beginning of the book describing the specific contributions of each writer. As a result, the guide consists of a series of essays devoted to a topic. A weakness of the approach is that references to many sites and attractions are scattered through several sections of the book.

The Insight Guide, created in conjunction with the Discovery Channel has really beautiful pictures, good to excellent maps, and very literate descriptions. I was particularly impressed with the historical section and the superb bibliography of further reading. I've studied over half of their suggestions, and there's not a clinker in the stack of books.

What really impressed me, though, was that Peter Frost is a major contributor to the guidebook. I've written a glowing review of the fifth edition of his Exploring Cusco, which was released in 1999. As far as I can tell, no new edition of that marvelous guide is planned.

If Insight and the Discovery Channel have preempted Mr. Frost for good, this guidebook will become the standard of excellence for Peru.

Robert C. Ross 2008

This is the best French book I have so far come across. It is neat and easy to read, along with pronounciations. Inside there is general words, words for getting around, accommodation words, words concerning food and drink, sightseeing, active pursuits, entertainment, shopping, practical information, colors, months, alphabet, and numbers. There is also a dictionary. There are a few pictures here and there. I fully recomend this book, rather you are going to France, or just wanting to learn French. I believe, if I'm not mistaken, there are other books like this one for Italian, German, and the like.