Insight Books

throw away all your phonics rules and worksheets and Hooked on's.

If you wish to read, then read.

If you want to teach others to read, give them something they will read.

Lower your standards. Read the cereal box, the soup can, Calvin and Hobbes, Incredible Hulk, Barefoot Gen, Maus, whatever absolutely they want to read. Just read. Just do it.

The great Dr. Krashen here shows you how.

Here in this second edition, updated to the latest research of 2004 which serves to confirm his earlier conclusions, Dr. Krashen gives us and our students permission to read whatever interests us, so long as we will read.

By reading we learn to read.

No brainer.

Few people know that the great American comedian of film and stage WC Fields began his vaudeville career as a fantastic juggler, manipulating cigar boxes and pool cues and balls, etc. with great skill and alacrity. After years of this someone gave him a manual of How to Juggle, which had so many rules and advice, including regarding breathing and concentration, that in his next performance he failed while he tried to remember and observe the rules of good juggling. He could no longer concentrate as he focused on concentrating. He later recovered his incredible skills when he could finally again forget the rules and just juggle.

Same with reading. Throw away those high priced "how to read" and phonics books. Just read. The industry gives you nothing to really read, just exercises with no benefit and little interest. Just read what you want and you will read.

Only the great publication houses with phonics programs and worksheets to sell at a high price tell us (and the big government that now runs our schools) otherwise. There is too much profit to be lost, and too much lobbying going on in the halls of our state houses and Congress, and the w White house.

By the way, why does the current Secretary of Education have absolutely no experience in any kind of education? Kind of like that FEMA guy, or Gonzo, etc., etc. Still she forces us to buy worksheets instead of letting us READ freely in order to learn how to read. Library funds are decimated while the industry reaps great profit and the government its lobbying bribes.

It is in reading that we read. It is in reading that our reading skills grow, no matter what you read. As you read lower level materials, your mind will automatically seek more challenging materials and reach for more. After Marvel you will want Tolkein. After Harry Potter you will hunger for James Joyce, forever. And then Dante and the Bible remain.

I have been a bilingual teacher and practitioner for many decades, as my grandmother before me. I recall from my first hearing of words and of speech my bilingual Church (Latin with occassional English, briefly), etc. Dr. Krashen's method here serves all students, especially our bilingual students developing reading skills in their most comfortable language which are applicable later to the target language (here ENglish) without even their being aware of it. They will wonder when you taught them to read in English.

This book is based on solid research and bursts most of the popular and powerful misconceptions and myths regarding teaching methods and politicians with profitable interests who would stop those strategies which are most effective.

Please study this book carefully for the scientifically proven truth, based on reliable research methodology.

In order to learn how to read, read. Whatever you choose, whatever interests you, but easy reading, within your frustration level, within your enjoyment level.

There's plenty of good stuff to read right here on the amazon. Check out my reviews for a few!

And then read to your family, too, in joy and in peace, and relearn the love of reading together. Turn off that television and just read already!

I teach ESL at the middle school level. This book was so powerful and convincing that I immediately changed my lesson plans to include SSR on a daily basis.

My friend casually slipped this book to me over the lunch table. She said I may find it helpful in my struggles teaching middle school and high school English to second language learners. Little did she know how helpful this book would be. After reading the book, I immediately consulted with my colleagues and we began a program of free reading. It's working! I actully have students thanking me for letting them figure out for themselves that they really didn't mind reading! I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a very readable compilation of the research that's been done and how to apply it! Worth every penny!

Stephen Krashen does a wonderful job of presenting an easy to read book on research concerning children and reading. The info provided can be extremely useful when ordering books and planning programming for children. Some parts of the book get dry and a little slow but overall the results are fascinating. The copyright date of 1993 makes the book slightly out of date and I would love to see a second edition of the book to see if anything has changed since then.

I am the Library/Media Specialist for a school district in Alaska on a grant to increase literacy through literature. I heard Stephen D. Krashen speak at a school librarian convention and was so impressed that I read this book. The district has Silent Sustained Reading as its number one directive to all the teachers, but the idea is difficult for some teacher's to accept. I am hoping that by lending this book to teachers we can get fuller compliance. Having taught children's literature class at the college level for six years, I have read a lot and firmly believe in the work done by Krashen as presented in this book.

I was asked to read the book for an advanced advertising class at the Ross School of Business (Michigan). I was skeptical because I couldn't find it nearly anywhere. However, after reading it it has changed the way I look at advertising. If you are looking for a book that lays out all of the rules in a simple formula, this isn't that book. However, it is the type of book that infuses you with the knowledge needed through short stories and small nuggets of information. By the end your frame of reference has shifted, and you are better off for it. It is a short read and has some funny parts as well (including where the title came from).

The specific vendor was good. It came quickly and was it great condition.

While I can't add much more to what other reviewers have said, I wanted to add a few thoughts. This is a well written, witty and wonderful book. The author is highly respected in the advertising world.

This is a book about getting ideas, being creative. Yes, it's about advertising. And if you're in the advertising business, you may appreciate it more than other people. While Phil says it's not about advertising, it is.

But I got a ton of ideas from this book. I'm always chasing ideas and ways to get creative. It's my whole world. So I found this book one that I will keep in my office and refer to often.

Highly recommended.

And I've read A LOT. This one, however, goes behind the scenes on how a product lets the consumer know it's here by a "memorable" campaign, not the the 24/7 onslaught of pop-ups or product placement or posters-in-public-bathrooms that we have been experiencing of late. It's enough to make a person wistful for the good ol' days of advertising. I'm NOT in the business, but I can still remember each and every ad Dusenberry mentioned. (And I can still recite: Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun! :-) ) At the same time, I can't remember a single ad that aired last night during "Desperate Housewives." Newcomers may blow off the meanderings of a mere high-school graduate who "did good" in advertising, but from this consumer's viewpoint, Dusenberry GOT it, and that's an insight I'll cherish.

What an amazing book. I loved it! I'm in the advertising industry so I expected the book to be relevant to my career - but the book offers so much more to anyone from a small business owner to a CEO of a large corporation. Everyone would appreciate reading this book. The focus is on insight rather than clever ideas. The pages are full of witty stories of tried and true (and not so successful) experiences of a legendary ad man. I highly recommend this book.

I was sent this book for free but I must admit that initially I didn't really feel too excited about either the author or the topic owing to my aversion to the Madison Ave advertising industry in general. When I did open it I was expecting to read about how great the advertising industry was and how Dusenberry was the cheerleader for it. Not so.

Dusenberry actually steps back a level and talks about life managing the creative and marketing strategy behind some of the world's best-known brands such as Pepsi and Dupont. This book isn't so much about advertising and marketing as it is about the "ah hah!" moment that leads to insight into a product or service that then forms the platform upon which a successful campaign is built. In other words, years of marketing effort can be driven by a fleeting moment in time and Dusenberry talks about how these fleeting moments come to be.

Dusenberry doesn't talk about Madison Avenue really nor does he pretend to be anything other than the creative filter for BBDO through which the good ideas get through. He tries to instill a sense of wonder and engagement in the reader to bring out the best and wildest ideas that might help to launch a new product or service. Although he didn't say as much, I suspect his ideas and insights are as valid for a 1-person startup company as for a 10,000-person conglomerate.

If you're a marketer or advertiser, internet or not, you'll really enjoy this book. I would also recommend it to budding entrepreneurs who are looking for some enlightenment and guidance on trusting their instincts about launching their product or service.

Great book. I'd recommend it to anyone who want to write interesting free flowing articles be it stories or anything. This book offers you with knowledge you'd need to write a good essay, story or book. I love this book it has really helped me improve my writing skills. Writing Creative Nonfiction

The book was well known before I ordered it. It is all I looked for and it is on my principal bookshelf.

This book may not be 100% comprehensive (a tad redundant, perhaps), but if there is any other one out there that has more to offer on addressing the varieties of style, structure, form and the creative nonfiction process, I haven't seen it. Being new to the business in 2003 when I began working on Waiting for Westmoreland in earnest, I found the instuctions and insights illuminating, inspiring and confusing all at once. How to choose?! I felt like Alice on her journey after the rabbit. Still, it gave me plenty of techniques to consider--that would not have been as readily discernible had I simply tried to read every book of actual creative nonfiction I could get my hands on.

Over the past several years there has been quite a controversy as to what exactly is creative nonfiction.
In fact, there are some who even go so far as denying its existence and claim there is no such animal!
If we are from the school that accepts that it is alive and kicking, we must then be able to describe what exactly is creative nonfiction.

Carolyn Fauché and Philip Gerard, editors of Writing Creative Nonficton, perhaps best sum up what it is all about when they state: "creative nonfiction has emerged in the last few years as the province of factual prose that is also literary-infused with the stylistic devices, tropes, and rhetorical flourishes of the best fiction and the most lyrical narrative poetry. It is fact based writing that remains compelling, undiminished by the passage of time, that has at heart an interest in enduring human values: foremost a fidelity to accuracy, to truthfulness."

In order to support their belief in creative nonfiction, Fauché and Gerard have presented more than thirty essays that examine all of above key ingredients inherent in writing creative nonfiction.
Divided into three sections, the reader will receive tips pertaining to such topics as researching ideas and structuring the story, reportage, personal reflection, developing powerful observation techniques, awareness of the filters that put you between yourself and the world, shaping the lyric essay, creating biography, war writing, using humor, and taking yourself out of the story.

What is quite noteworthy about the book is that the reader receives valuable advice from over thirty well- known writers such as: Terry Tempest Williams, Allan Cheuse, Phillip Lopate, Carolyn Forché, and Philip Gerard, all of whom contribute immensely in convincing us that, yes, creative nonfiction does exist.
It may be true that it has undergone many name changes over the years- nonfiction novel, narrative non-fiction, literary journalism, literary non-fiction, and new journalism, however, they all lead us to the conclusion that no matter how confusing it sounds, creative nonfiction is still distinguishable from daily journalism, academic criticism, and critical biography.

The book also offers a primer on the practical business of drafting a business proposal as presented by Stanley Colbert, and a section about what happens after publication.
Finally, as the editors most aptly state: "as a final gift to the reader, we've included the `Creative Non-Fiction' reader offering the companion pieces and other exemplary essays to inspire, delight, reach, and simply to enjoy."

This review first appeared on the reviewer's own site: Bookpleasures.com

whilst one can not expect every chapter to be directly relevant, i found each of them thought provoking. this book has enabled me to view the genre, and my writing attempts, in a new light.

an essential read for anyone interested in writing narrative non-fiction.

This is now the fourth CLassics book I've read and I have yet to be disappointed. I can't wait to pick up the continuation 50 More Psychology Classics.The Power of Inner Guidance: Seven Steps to Tune In and Turn On

Previously, I read and reviewed Tom Butler-Bowdon's 50 Self-Help Classics and 50 Success Classics and was not surprised to find that his most recently published volume in the "50 Classics" series is their equal in terms of the quality and value of the material provided. Butler-Bowdon employs essentially the same format for the three volumes: brief background on each source, major insights, final comments, and mini-bio of author. The "great thinkers" he discusses in 50 Psychology Classics are also organized in alphabetical order, although I would have preferred (one man's opinion) that they had been organized within discrete thematic clusters, and not in alphabetical order but in terms of sequence of influence. Sigmund Freud followed by Carl Jung and Alfred Adler and then Anna Freud followed by B.F. Skinner, for example. Frankly, as I checked out the table of contents, I was initially surprised to see Edward de Bono, Howard Gardner, Malcolm Gladwell, Daniel Goleman, Steven Pinker, Gail Sheehy, and William Styron among the "iconic figures" listed so I read their segments first and, sure enough, Butler-Bowdon explains the inclusion of each.

In the Introduction, he provides an overview on the development of modern psychology as a field of study, once "early titans" (e.g. Williams James, Sigmund Freud, Jung, and Adler) had written books that the general public could understand. Within the Introduction, he also suggests seven themes that offer different perspectives on "who we are, how we think, and what we do" and assigns to each a cluster of relevant commentaries. Readers can then decide which themes are of greatest interest to them, and, on which selections to focus. For example, five sources are suggested for "Tapping the unconscious mind: Wisdom of a different kind." They are:

The Gift of Fear (Gavin de Becker)
My Voice Will Go With You (Milton Erickson by Sidney Rosen)
The Interpretation of Dreams (Sigmund Freud)
Blink (Malcolm Gladwell)
The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (Carl Jung)

I read some books cover-to-cover sequentially; with others, I hop around back and forth in random fashion; with still others, I read strategically after checking out the table of contents, as I did with this one. My guess (only a guess) is the latter approach will work best for most readers and many may decide what to read and in what order after reviewing the seven thematic clusters in the Introduction. For those who feel overwhelmed by the number of books in print and need help selecting what will be of greatest interest to them, the volumes in the "50 Classics" series will be especially valuable.

I view Butler-Bowdon is an erudite "travel agent" for readers, but also as an enthusiastic "tour guide" who then accompanies them from one "landmark" to the next. One of this book's several value-added benefits is that Butler-Bowdon discusses several authors and works of which many (if not most) of his readers may have been previously unaware. He also does a skillful job of comparing and contrasting perspectives on a specific subject as in this volume, for example, when noting that a "central idea in Adlerian psychology is that individuals are always striving toward a goal. Whereas Freud saw us as driven by what was in our past, Adler had a teleological view - they we are driven by our goals, whether they are conscious or not."

Those who share my regard for this book are urged to check out the other volumes in the "50 Classics" series. To those in business, I also highly recommend several volumes in the Capstone reference series written by Des Dearlove, notably The Ultimate Book of Business Thinking.

This book offers an engaging overview of 50, for the most part, widely popular psychology books as well as short biographies of their authors. Knowing the backgrounds of these psychologists helps to understand where they are coming from and what motivated them to explore a particular area of human mind, or behavior and arrive at particular conclusions.

Some of the authors covered are William James, Sigmund Freud, Karl Gustav Jung, Abraham Maslow, Dr. Milton Erickson (as a hypnotherapist, I was thrilled that he was mentioned here), Robert Cialdini, David Burns, and many others who have contributed not only to the greater understanding of human mind and behavior, but also to creating methods and techniques some appropriate for use within therapeutic environment and others designed to help people to use on their own to cope better with life's challenges, to feel better and to live more satisfying lives.

Tom Butler-Bowdon again provides an informative, passionate, and engaging guide through literature that will improve our lives as well as those around us. His choice of books and their descriptions are brilliant. I wonder what he will come out with next? I always look forward to his books and his enthusiastic and superb style of writing. Tom thanks again for providing us with the knowledge we need in our journey of life.

Highly recommended.

Following on from Tom Butler-Bowdon's previous volumes in the "50 Classics" series, this first class collection of summaries of key psychology books and authors continues in the same broad, accessible, but also in-depth, style.

As the sub-title says, psychology is all about who we are, how we think, what we do. In other words, what it means to be human. Topics covered include the unconscious mind, happiness and mental health, the study of personality, motivation, love, creativity and relationships.

With key "in a nutshell" comments, the author cuts to the essential message of each writer, while addressing more complex subtleties in the accompanying text. As with Tom's other books, there is a very wide range of carefully chosen authors. I had come across several here in an academic context, but in general the emphasis is on popular psychology, "Psychology for nonpsychologists" as the jacket puts it. The range includes RD Laing, Oliver Sacks, Fritz Perls, Ivan Pavlov, Eric Berne, to pick a few random names. The founding fathers such as William James and Sigmund Freud are covered, alongside over a century's worth of contributions right up to Malcolm Gladwell with his 2005 bestseller on the importance of first impressions and split-second judgment.

There is a huge amount of psychological and self-development literature available these days. It can be difficult to know where to begin but each volume in the "50 Classics" is an excellent starting point. "50 Psychology Classics" is another winner in the series and I wholeheartedly recommend it!

Mergers are not just a matter of putting two companies together and adding up the profits. The cultural aspects of the two organizations have to be merged successfully, or the blending can be doomed to failure. IBM's merger with PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting is a prime example of the importance of culture, and the techniques used to combine the companies is explored in the book Can Two Rights Make a Wrong? - Insights from IBM's Tangible Culture Approach by Sara J. Moulton Reger.

Contents:
Section 1 - The Basics: Introduction - An Overview of Tangible Culture; We Can't Do This the Traditional Way - IBM's Acquisition of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting; Traditional Approaches to Culture Transformation - How Others Have Dealt with the Challenge; How to Get to the Right Place the Right Way - Outcome Narratives; The Good Thing That Can Cause Big Trouble - Right vs. Right; The Unseen Hand That Propels Organizational Action - Business Practices; Putting It All Together - The Business Practices Alignment Method
Section 2 - The Application: Mergers and Acquisitions - Managing the Common Sources of Culture Clash; Alliances - Finding Ways to Leverage Your Collective Capabilities; Major Restructuring - Gaining Sustained Value from Your Organization; Major Transformation - Addressing Your Plan's Hidden Barrier; Key Decisions and Everyday Business - Extending Tangible Culture Into the Operational Parts of Your Business
Section 3 - The Projects: The Co-operators - Using Business Practices to Clarify Expectations; Sales Pipeline - Using Right vs. Right to Differentiate Issues
Epilogue; About the Contributors; Index

IBM and PwC took a specific approach to merging PwC Consulting into the IBM fold. There were different styles of management and philosophy, one being hierarchical and one being more client-centered. In many cases, neither organization or structure was "wrong" in their approach. It's just that a decision had to be made as to what the desired behavior of the merged entity should be. The Tangible Culture method uses tools and exercises to explore the current state of both cultures, the desired state of the merged culture, and how close the current culture conforms to the end state. This type of approach minimizes the danger of "right vs. right", where two good practices are allowed to coexist or dominate each other without thought as to how they contribute to where you want to be. Using this type of structure to address culture issues in the organization can do wonders to make sure that more mergers and restructurings actually accomplish something.

The book does seem to be a bit repetitive at times, as the application section uses the same charts and format over and over to show how the system can be applied. On one hand, that's good in that it reinforces the message. On the other hand, it all seems to blur together after awhile. It's not a fault of the system, but more a flaw in the presentation and layout of the book. But even with that observation, this is still a book that is worth reading in order to increase the chances that your mergers are not destructive...

Sara Moulton Reger and her colleagues have done a great service by clearly demonstrating the importance of culture in driving organizational performance, whether that organization is being formed from a merger or acquistion, or is working to implement strategic change and growth. Importantly, they do not fall into the trap of using attributional models, those that attempt to force fit an organization's culture into pre-determined categories. Rather, they treat culture as it plays out in the thousands of daily interactions, the 'way we do things around here,' to determine the norms and behaviors that will guide people in achievement of the organization's business priorities.

Their use of Outcome Narratives, Right vs Right, and other powerful tools, all clearly described, are very helpful for getting people focused on desired ends and agreed ways of achieving them. With these tools, people can avoid having the 'violent agreements' that we have found so often in our work while treating culture clashes.

CAN TWO RIGHTS MAKE A WRONG? INSIGHTS FROM IBM'S TANGIBLE CULTURE APPROACH teaches how to apply IBM's 'culture transformation techniques' to a range of business environments and choices. Learn how to clarify expectations so others thoroughly understand them, how to measure culture change progress in ways others can comprehend, and how to translate common business practices to practical options and applications in the world market.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

When you read this book you know that you're getting insights into the realities and challenges of organizational and cultural change from someone who has been on the front lines. Sara Moulton Reger has harnessed the power of storytelling and aptly applied it to developing a process and context that flat out works. This hands-on approach to gaining wisdom AND gracefully maneuvering a culture transformation is essential for anyone at any level involved in a merger, acquisition or re-organization - large or small, global or local.

This book is an excellent exploration of a topic that is usually poorly treated, either by being too academic or too simplistic. Reger and her IBM colleagues dive deeply into concrete techniques for uncovering, understanding and reconciling "cultural" issues that inhibit performance. Written for both practitioners and leaders, Can Two Rights Make A Wrong highlights cultural implications of major changes from mergers/acquisitions to organizational changes across international boundaries. As a global change practitioner, I found exciting methods for successfully managing major changes in the book.

The stories in this book give hope to us all. For more than a decade I have worked with adults and children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. The usual treatments involve behavior modification and drug therapy. Little time is spent in observation and evaluation such as described by Judith Bluestone in this book. The Handle Institute's methods offer hope through its methods that have no reliance on drug therapy. This is a book for patients, family members and professionals.

After reading the Churkendoose Anthology, I am embarrassed to feel overwhelmed by my own daily problems. The true stories in this collection show determined people overcoming extreme odds when they look at things differently. The people at The HANDLE Institute must look at neurological problems with a wide lens encompassing everything that might influence a person's development. I am inspired to revisit the problems I once thought intractable. When at first you don't see an answer, look wider and learn more.

Have you heard Ray Bolger sing the Churkendoose song? It is a silly children's rhyme that helps individuals feels good about who they are and how they're uniqueness can be an advantage if only they could see it that way. The song comes to life at The HANDLE Institute.

Compiled and edited by Lisa Brenner, The Churkendoose Anthology: True Stories of Triumph over Neurological Dysfunction is a collection of uplifting testimonies offering a positive message of hope to individuals afflicted with neurodevelopment problems ranging from attention disorders, learning disabilities, Tourette's Syndrom, or an acquired brain injury, to Cerebral Palsy, sleep disorders, Vestibular Dysfunction, Down's Syndrome, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. True success stories of the HANDLE (Holistic Approach to NeuroDevelopment and Learning Efficiency) approach in helping young people and their parents. Enhanced with an informative commentary by Judith Bluestone, The Churkendoose Anthology is highly recommended as an engaging and encouraging read, especially for anyone having to cope with a neurological dysfunction.

The Churkendoose Anthology is a touching compilation of true stories of individuals and families who have triumphed over behavioral dysfunction without the use of drugs. It is an inspiration to all who know someone or suffer themselves. Professional therapists, MDs, especially including pediatricians will benefit from reading and learning about this unique way of healing a multitude of behavioral issues.

Going through life as parent of a "special" child, one navigates a maze of physicians, experts, specialists, and amateur diagnosticians. Desperate for help, such parents try a range of treatments and tactics, sometimes destroying their families and their sanity in the process. Ms. Bluestone and HANDLE do not have a "magic bullet," but the simple and authentic wisdom in the HANDLE approach teaches us all that there really ARE honest and practical strategies to help individuals who don't fit any of the models in the medical literature. My son has benefitted greatly from the HANDLE precepts, and this book tells true stories of others whose lives have been forever changed. Ms. Bluestone's own story is an inspiration, and she brings to her work the unique empathy of one who has "been there" and found her way out. HANDLE respects individuality and eschews labels; the accounts of these HANDLE clients are compelling and dramatic. Perhaps the most important thing this book provides is hope, which is often in painfully short supply for "marginalized" people. I congratulate all these writers for recounting their journeys, and I think thousands of people can benefit from stepping into the Churkendoose shoes for a few hours. I recommend this book to those with open minds, tired spirits, and vital hearts.

Written by a man who walked away from his position as CEO & Editor in Chief of Esquire Magazine, this treatise is the real thing! Given his command of knowledge in all matters literary, what could have been another cerebral exercise is in fact a work of heart.

Two days ago, I encountered Phillip walking down a rural road at sunset. In silence, we passed one another. Although, I don't really know this man, there existed in that moment an implicit recognition of mutual presence and purpose. When our gaze met and held, I found there... joy, a radiance, peace. No kidding.

Having just finished my read of "Dancing with Life", I thought, "here is an author, a teacher... who literally 'walks his talk' ".

The book is like that--filled with easily understood and accessible content, literary references, stories, metaphor, and allegory. He skillfully integrates case examples from the lives of his students, and wisdom gleaned from years of study in the original Buddhist texts. Backed by his very real practice and lived experience, the content comes alive in one's heart, and is not easily forgotten.

A central theme encourages the reader not to rely on conceptual teachings of the Four Noble Truths; rather, to intentionally pursue a 'lived" or "felt experience" of the insights through the practice of mindful meditation. Ultimately, the possibilities are limitless.... to fully embrace all of life at T.S. Eliot's dynamic "still point" is readily available... that place where suffering and joy passionately tango together in the dance of life. A highly recommended read!

Moffitt's book is a gem: it is a handbook to help us develop and hone our skills so that we respond to our suffering in a way whereby we are not defined by it. The book--an explication of the Four Noble Truths, which is the Buddha's primary teaching--is well organized, full of examples from Moffitt's life and the lives of his students, and is eminently readable, His style is lucid and alive, and his book is a treasure to savor. I highly recommend this book to anyone whether or not they are familiar with the Buddha's teachings.

Why do you suffer? Is there a purpose to your pain? These questions come up for all of us at some time, as they did for the Buddha 2,500 years ago. In his wisdom, he developed a way through suffering, which he called the Four Noble Truths, and he left us the Twelve Insights to guide us through them.

Using examples from his own life and those of his students, and the step-by-step process of the Twelve Insights, Phillip Moffitt shows us how we can walk through our suffering to a path of joy. First we learn to embrace suffering through the First Noble Truth. In the Second Noble Truth, we learn there is a way to stop clinging. The Third Noble Truth shows us cessation of suffering is possible. And the Fourth Noble Truth offers us the Noble Eightfold Path to happiness.

Pain and suffering come to all of us, and at times can feel overwhelming. But Moffitt gives us clear and compelling reasons to believe that these Twelve Insights are the way to handle suffering and create a life filled with joy. Though at times the path won't be easy, there is hope that we can learn to live with our pain and still enjoy our dance with life.

A profoundly spiritual book, Dancing With Life is a must-read for all those who want to find deeper meaning in life.

Reviewer: Alice Berger, Bergers Book Reviews

Most of the Dharma books that I've read fall into two categories: lightweight new-age fluff or heavily-footnoted scholarship. This book avoids both extremes. It's very compactly written, with no apparent filler. (If anything, I think he is too brief in touching on some important points.) I find the title of the book to be a bit unfortunate, but it's actually appropriate to the subject matter.

The book is structured around the Four Noble Truths, and as a long-time Buddhist (with a strong predilection for scholarly detail) I thought that it couldn't teach me anything new. It did, though, and on a number of levels. You might think you know all about the 4NT, but this version from the Samyutta Nikaya really adds a new dimension, and is directly applicable to one's practice.

In short, I give this book a pretty-much unqualified rave. A few stylistic weaknesses and an overuse of italics, but in content it's deeply inspiring and immediately useful.

This book is a practical guide for using the principles of Buddhism in dealing with the issues in everyday life. Being a recent follower of Buddhism, I found it the first book that presented to me easily understandable and concrete steps to use in my life.

Outstanding sleuthing on an imperative problem facing our health and everyone on the planet. Certainly causes one to think and ponder the big questions.

While Fowl centers on the avian flu, it is comprised of information that ties together environmental, political, economic, and health issues in a way that presents a bigger picture to the reader. Dr. Tenpenny's interest and understanding of wholistic health is evident in the research and scope of the book. Through questioning the reliability of reports that the avian flu could jump to humans, she has looked at the bigger picture, which involves our environment, political influences on health care and information, and how economic factors contribute to situations that weaken health.

The book is well written and researched. It is also easy to read and presented in a way that is understandable to the reader. I had a hard time putting the book down. Also of use, was information in the book that encourages the reader to explore further into potential areas of interest,or to become involved in solving the dilemas that contribute to making us all more susceptible to illness.

If you are one of those people who strives to keep abreast of important events around the globe in the areas of politics, diplomacy, and militarism, and you are starting to question what is REALLY behind all the bird flu hype, then this is a book for you.

This quality paperback includes a glossary that serves as a guide to governmental and non-governmental organizations relevant to the subjects in the book. Quite impressively, there are more than 20 pages of endnotes in small print after 251 pages of text. The sources are authoritative and competent, all serving to demonstrate the thoroughness of Dr. Tenpenny's research.

The book is very readable and highly informative. Dr. Tenpenny writes in a style that keeps the reader attentive...no dozing off here. Laypersons will have no trouble understanding the material. I thought the book might be technical and dry, overly medical or boringingly scientific. Quite to the contrary, the ordinary reader, such as myself, will find it difficult to put down.

Dr. Tenpenny leads the reader through the history of past scares of pandemics (such as the swine flu and the smallpox scare in more recent times), describes the way in which microbes invade the body and the way in which vaccines are prepared for use against a variety of diseases. After learning the contents of a flu shot and how it is made, rest assured, you will think twice before accepting that injection in the future.

There is far too much information in the book to allow an all-inclusive topical discussion. However, her research connecting environmental pollution and war chemicals, (from WW I forward) to sick wild birds, sick poultry, and sick people is fascinating. The WHO and the UN should take note of the factual and scientifically documented information that they have overlooked.

This book will serve as a valuable reference source. Much of what you may have read in the news has been chronicled in the book, but the information has been explained from a different vantage point.

What makes this book different--and important--is that you will come away with new understanding about bird flu. Among other things, you will understand that cleaning up the environment is the key to preventing pandemics, NOT the massive manufacture and administration of vaccines. This is very different from what you are being told by Faux news.

This is an excellent book - a thorough systematic and well researched book which documents the REAL reasons for birds and people to be dying of 'bird 'flu'namely toxic residues of pesticides and herbicides including those persisiting form the agent orange bombings in vietnam, the appalling, cruel and inhumanely toxic conditions in which poultry are factory famed and the vested interests behind decimation of the traditional family poultry breeders and the pushing of a useless and dangerous vaccine. It includes what you really need to know to be healthy which is the only real immunity.
An excellent read, I couldn't stop turning the pages

FOWL!


Bird Flu: It's Not What You Think



Nearly everyone on earth is aware that global public health authorities are preparing for the day when avian flu virus variant H5N1 jumps species into people and spreads like wildfire around the globe, indiscriminately killing tens of millions of innocent, defenseless people.

But what if it were a bold-faced lie? What if the medical literature and recent history proves that the international bird flu-scare effort is an elaborate hoax? What if birds are being set up as patsies by a conspiracy of powerful government agencies and multinational corporations? What if sick migratory birds and domestic fowl are canaries and the entire planet is a coal mine?

Dr. Tenpenny is a practicing osteopathic physician from Cleveland. She proved her capabilities as a fearless researcher by adventuring into the salt mines of published vaccine literature to prove that vaccines neither safely nor effectively prevent the spread of infectious diseases--and the CDC knows it.

Alarmed by what she felt was a curious overreaction to a few human deaths attributed to a species-jumping avian virus, Dr. Sherri Tenpenny directed her research talents to getting to the bottom of this bird flu hype. She began by asking the following questions: Why are so many birds sick? Who wants all the chickens dead? Why are the human cases clustered primarily in SE Asia and what is the connection to cases elsewhere? Why are vaccine manufacturers being given a blank check to develop a vaccine that will be mandatory? Are global conditions similar to those extant at the time of the 1918 flu pandemic? "From those questions," Dr. Tenpenny assures us, "the story begins to unfold."

Dr. Tenpenny found no scientific evidence to suggest that the H5N1 avian flu would virulently "jump species" and decimate human populations in pandemic proportions.

Dr. Tenpenny did, however, discover a study showing how normally dormant viruses can come alive to fatally overwhelm the immune systems of animals who carry toxic levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as dioxin and polychlorinated biphenyls in their tissues. She also found that the vaccine and antibiotic-intensive, vertically-integrated corporate farming of genetically-modified poultry is the primary cause of epidemic illnesses among domestic birds.

The research for FOWL! scientifically supports the notion that germs do not cause disease; dis-ease causes germs. In other words, the truth about bird flu reveals that the development of symptoms and their subsequent severity or potential lethality, are dependent upon the relative health of the host--be he bird, beast or human.

Though she cites and references scores of scientific studies and technical articles that prove it's the chemicals, not the viruses, that we should be concerned about, Dr. Tenpenny is able to convert the complex material into language that we can all understand. The truths she uncovered are much more interesting than the fictions the "experts" are telling us to believe.

Bird flu is not a species-jumping virus threatening all of mankind. The bird flu threat to humanity is a fiction spun by opportunists in government and industry attempting to increase their own wealth and power while continuing their perverse mission of chemically contaminating our planet.

The easiest way to explain the bird flu fiction is to watch bird flu fiction. The ABC TV production, "Fatal Contact," which aired May 9, 2006, portrayed what would happen if...but the entire plot was built around the masses' fear of the unknown, their faith in government emergency planners and trust in pharmaceutical companies. In the movie (and in real life) there is no science to support the theory that a bird virus will mutate and spread all over the world on cocktail napkins and incidental contact, en route to killing hundreds of millions of people in the span of few months.

We should not be confused. The evidence Dr. Tenpenny unearthed shows that the seeds of bird flu were sown by the U.S. military's chemical contamination of SE Asia with dioxin-containing Agent Orange during the Vietnam War and is now coming of age in an era of nuclear effluent, chemical farming and the detonation of depleted uranium munitions in a wireless era of perpetual war.

FOWL! is not just another book. Everyone we know who has read it is stunned by what it reveals and impressed with the clear logic and language Dr. Tenpenny uses to deliver what is, perhaps, the most important message of our time: "Coal mine canaries" are dying all around us and we, as communities of people and nations, can either stop our indiscriminate spewing of toxic chemicals or perish of our own folly.


The Idaho Observer
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Although I was hesitant to spend this much money for a "correspondence course" in insight meditation. I decided to risk it and found that it exceeded my expectations. I had tried unsuccessfully to develop a regular sitting practice for several years. Joseph's and Sharon's precise, lucid pedagogical style, the practical "hands on" exercises at the end of each chapter, and access via email to a skilled Vipassana teacher enabled me to finally achieve that goal. Although I completed the course almost a year ago, I continue to work with my teacher online. The course also inspired me to attend a 10 day retreat at IMS which had a profound effect on my practice and my life. Bravo!!!

I have to admit that the way the meditation techniques and guidelines are presented in that course is unique, rarely found in other publications, including premium Buddhist authors. I found it very "enlightening", even having previous experience in Buddhist meditation practice. The presentation is done in a thorough, non sectarian way, eminently suitable to "western mind". The presentation of every technique or aspect is followed by several exercises and guided meditations which help to integrate it properly. The course, because it consists of several interesting topics, also helps to establish regular practice which is probably as important as the proper meditation technique. "It's not difficult to be mindful. It's difficult to remember to be mindful"- Joseph Goldstein

I purchased this meditation kit over a year ago. Previous to this course I could not get a good sense of direction in terms of meditation. I read some books, and got bits and peces here and there.
This course is complete. It has everything you need to meditate... except something to sit on. The tapes are great. They start of really basic and gradually build on one another. One side of a tape is a teaching and the second is a guided meditation. It really makes you feel like you are there sitting with the instructor. I did an average of one course a month. With this I completed all the exercises in the book and wrote to my correspondence instructor every month. Most of the correspondence is pre-written but some is actual text from a live instructor. I had some problems/concerns and I wrote to the instructor. He answered all my question and was very attentive.
This is NOT something you can do in one weekend. This is a lengthy but very rewarding experience. You need to spend an average of 45 minutes a day on this. To complete this course I meditated 3-5 times a week, 45 minutes at a time for over a year.
The course really changed my life. I continue to meditate today. The way you look at the world will never be the same. I am more relaxed, I can control my emotions a lot easier, I fall asleep within 2 minutes or less etc. etc.
I highly recommend this course to anyone looking for a little peace in this crazy world.

I've been searching for materials on the fundamentals of Buddhism, and discovered that most resources are too esoteric for a neophyte Westerner such as myself. This "kit" is simple, yet comprehensive. Structured in a very easy to understand manner, it is unpretentious and free of cheesy gimmicks like similar items I have seen in stores. I like that it combines text, CDs and cards for a more complete multi-media experience. The CDs don't have any distracting new-age music, and the speakers' voices are calm and down to earth. They also do not talk excessively, but give just enough guidance along the way. The book provides a thorough overview without being too complicated, and the quotes sprinkled throughout offer ways to reflect on concepts in bite size bits of wisdom. This is a perfect primer for anyone beginning a journey into learning about Buddhism.

Each of the 12 lessons includes two dics of 40-50 minutes. The introduction discs seem thorough and set for the lesson objectives very well. The disc containing the guided meditation is easy to follow and is consistent with the introduction. I have allowed three weeks time for each lesson which will allow for course completion and some lesson reviews within the one year course period. I have enrolled with the Dharma Foundation and have been assigned an advisor. The advisor has been extremely helpful. One disc was defective and I called Sound True who immediately made arrangements to replace it. In summary, the course is exceeding my expectations.

The traditional international tax textbook (by Avi-Yonah, Ring, & Brauner) is god-awful. I'm not sure who the intended audience is but certainly not law students. At the end of the class, I realized I didn't understand the big picture at all. The professor recommended this book as a supplement. I read the entire text two days before the exam and got an A. I honestly could not have done it without this book. It's super easy to understand, lays out the big picture, and covers the most important topics. Do yourself a favor and read this text.

This book provides a good overview of the area of International Taxation--but only an overview. It will not help you on detailed, complex issues in International Tax. However, using this book will help you understand the general framework for U.S. International Tax.

I did not give this book 5 stars because it needs more examples. The examples and charts were the best thing about the book, but there were far too few of them.

Given the dearth of comprehensible books in this area, I think this book is a great choice if you are looking for help in a class. Practicioners, however, will need more detail than this book will provide.

What a delight it is to read a book that simplifies the areana of international taxation. The author has written a book that is easy to digest and actually makes the topic interesting with practical examples. This book is well worth the purchase price. Well done!

What a delight it is to read a book that simplifies the areana of international taxation. The author has written a book that is easy to digest and actually makes the topic interesting with practical examples. This book is well worth the purchase price. Well done!

This book makes international taxation easy to understand.
It is a perfect beginner's book as it reveals the ideas behind otherwise incomprehensible laws.
For those who later on get lost in the maze you can always come back to the basics in this book.
I haven't seen any other writer explain the basics so well.
The only thing that I am disappointed with at this moment, October 2004, is that there is not an updated version available.
I would buy it the moment it comes out.
Also, I agree with one of the reviewers of this book that 4 years in the international taxation world is a very long time.
We now need more updated information on tax shelters in this book for one thing.
Mr. Isenbergh please update this book and publish it.