Controls Books

A "must read" for anyone in manufacturing. It is the basis for all modern manufacturing, and for any business process or flow. The author describes the two pillars of the Toyota production system as autonomation and just-in-time. He explaines the six rules associated with the kanban. He also describes the seven wastes and the value of asking "Why" five times. The book is very easy and quick reading, and provides a complete backgroung to the Toyota development and success.

Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale Production
Great tool for understanding basics and roots of TPS

I got this as a present for my father for his birthday last weekend. He has already started reading it and making notes. It is everything we hoped it would be and met his expectations. I would recommend it for marketing students, teachers, and anyone interested in that type of thing.

"Toyota Production System" was published in 1979 in Japanese and, in English in 1988. It is the source material on the toyota production system and, in my view, it is often good to go back to the source. Sadly, I found this book disappointing. The writing style is clunky (perhaps a poor translation) and the book lacks structure; being more of a semi-random collection of points than a development of ideas. Nevertheless there is some interesting stuff in here. The honesty that this is a long slow process (taking Toyota 30+ years) is refreshing, and I hadn't realised that Mr Ohno ranked kanban (with quick changeovers) as the core of the system and essential to success. Often in lean kanban seems to be a bit of a side issue: here it is vital. Also there is an interesting analysis of some of Henry Ford's early writings compared to TPS. This would be good material for a student essay. However, for the philosophy of TPS you will get much more out of "The Toyota Way" or "The Toyota Way Fieldbook"; and for the tools of lean go to "Lean Production Simplified" or the many other books in this area. Overall this book is a bit of a let-down I am sad to say.

There are many myths around the Toyota Production System (TPS). Ohno Taiichi merits my deepest respects, considering he was able almost a half century ago to observe and learn from others. Considering the simple target given to him, to "catch up with America" he studied in-depth the work of Ford and recognised the idea of copying the US supermarket system for his operational purpose.

The book describes very well what constraints he was given from the owners when Toyota started to get into the automotive business and what path they followed until the first fully operated TPS plant went operational at the 60s.

Many thinkings of Ohno Taiichi are still actual. He is capable of bringing key problems to the point: efficiency gains are worthless until they really lead to cost reduction. Unfortunatelly we all now the opposite from this wisdom - and many "growth-strategies" of companies today are nothing else than to try to increase business with the same workforce. Furthermore the author gives good examples how Toyota handled different issues, as e.g. the syncronization of production with final assembly.

The reader will not find any operational theory or formulas in this book and if you are looking for books teaching you about designing and sizing Pull-systems you should look for books as "Kanban made simple" or similar. TPS is not about installing software than about eliminating everything which is waste and does mainly not contribute to the succes of your business.

Anyway this book is a must read for any readers interested in first hand information about the basis that made TMC what they are today - a business model developed by smart people many years ago and dearing to ask simple questions, to find sound and robust solutions and to steadily develop the system and its people working in it.

My deepest respect to Ohno Taiichi,
Domo arrigato,

Oliver

In my health care practice, I look for the toxins that throw our bodies out of balance as Donna so aptly describes in her book. We live in a sea of chemicals and if a health practitioner chooses to go looking for them, they will find them in a patient's body. Just look around at the average American today. It is obvious the medications that simply treat symptoms are not enough.

It seems so basic to clean up our bodies, our environment. Thank you, Donna, for writing such a comprehensive, truthful book about our state of affairs in health and industry today and its impact on all of us.

In the forward to The Autoimmune Epidemic, Dr. Douglas Kerr, Director of the Johns Hopkins Transverse Myelitis Center, states reading this book is "a necessary first step," but rereading it "is a life-altering event." Be prepared, though, even a first pass through these well-written, meticulously researched pages will force you to look at the world around you in a totally different light.

Donna Jackson Nakazawa has managed to synthesize a complex subject, the explosion of diagnosed autoimmune diseases throughout the Western world, with a writing style that's both informative and riveting, producing what will be looked at as THE clarion call for our entire society to make sweeping changes before it's too late.

Every likely contributor to this epidemic is exposed -- from what industry casually pumps into the environment to what we voluntarily put into our own bodies. Ms. Nakazawa not only explores the possible causes and effects of these influences, she successfully bridges the often arcane medical jargon in an intelligent and effective manner.

Ms. Nakazawa introduces a new term to the lexicon - "autogen" - which will become the watchword for all of us as it refers to those triggers we come in contact with that can send our immune systems into self-destruct mode. Becoming alert to potential external autogens is just one important step in preventing the panoply of autoimmune diseases, though. What we eat, drink, do, even how we think and feel, have possible consequences on our future health.

Curious to know what "the barrel" is and how close your personal one is to overflowing? By the time you finish The Autoimmune Epidemic, you may become sufficiently self-aware to address those factors filling your barrel before your own immune system turns against you. Your health and the health of our future generations depends on direct action by all of us to change the course of the coming (or already arrived) autogen storm. Donna Jackson Nakazawa will remembered as the one who sounded the alarm and hopefully, not too late.

The jacket of the book is red; it symbolizes the red flag that autoimmune diseases are waving at us. You know what happens when you ignore a red flag - this is a must read book. Readers who have an autoimmune disease, or suspect that they do, will get a whole new insight into the process of the body attacking itself. Case histories bring the reality of these diseases into focus. She explains why if you have one autoimmune disease, you are at increased risk for more.

Readers who do not have an autoimmune disease will get the same kind of heads-up coal miners get when they send a canary into a mine shaft... and it doesn't come out. Donna Nakazawa has provided enough scientific information in an area of public health that is sketchy at best and mysterious at least to give the reader many "aha" moments. Nakazawa's writing style is perfect for this topic. She has taken a highly complex medical condition and made it easy for people without a medical or science background to understand.

Why is diagnosing autoimmune diseases so difficult?
Why is finding cause and effect so challenging?
Why is treatment so elusive?
How could we not have seen this coming: OR why did we see it and ignore it?

There is a chapter on cutting edge research being done for treatment of some of the most debilitating autoimmune conditions. This is a chapter of hope. In my opinion, the prospect of patching up serious body malfunctions doesn't compensate for the damage already done by negligence of our society. But Nakazawa does give us that hope and additional suggestions for lifestyle adaptations in diet, stress management and environmental awareness. That is probably the best we can do with what we have before us.

I am, admittedly, a fan of the book because it tells a powerful story of a neighborhood activism in Buffalo, NY, and I was involved in that story in a small way. But the story of folks with undiagnosed autoimmune disease, how this poor, minority community had the strength of will to ask difficult questions, identify scientific collaborators in the local University, and lead a groundbreaking study of lupus incidence is a lesson that bears repeating all across the US. Along with that chapter, Donna Jackson Nakazawa weaves together impressive scientific review, stories of her personal challenges and why it is relevant for patients all across the US, and clearly states key issues for those wanting to know what they suffer from.

On top of that, she identifies recommendations on health and diet.

A powerful book, because it captures a citizen and journalist describing research, citizen action and health recommendations for this rising tide of unknown diseases, that affect everyone around us.

Why so many MS patients? Why is lupus so hard to diagnose? Why do we only measure asthma and cancer, and not other disease rates? Why do we insist on such a burden of proof of problematic diseases in communities? Jackson Nakazawa identifies and tackles tough science and policy questions in a book that cannot be put down.

Scientists, medical professionals, doctors, researchers, community leaders and members, citizen activists, concerned neighbors. You all should read this book.

I am a 35 yr old woman who has multiple sclerosis. My father and my mother's sister have lupus. My father's brother also has ms... and the story goes on. I know in my heart that the environment we have created definitely affects us. This book was suggested to me by a librarian who has rheumatoid arthritis and we got talking. I feel as if this book backs up everything I have been thinking, but goes on in depth explaining why.

I have learned so much from this book. The book thoroughly explains different factors that all add up to why autoimmune disease seems to be so rampant. There is a great explanation of a barrel filling and overflowing, which really makes sense. It seems that things we eat, use, clean with etc., stuff we take for granted everyday combined with the general environment and possibly genetics all add up to autoimmune disease.

I would suggest this to anyone who is interested in learning more about possible causation of autoimmune disease including physicians and family members of the diseased.

I feel empowered after reading this book as there are things that I can change. I hope that with several small changes (and maybe a few big ones) I can make a difference in the course of my disease or at least try to prevent it in my children.

It is more than a cliche to say that Saddam Hussein was a madman, and in fact, it is an understatement. Mahdi Obeidi spent a major portion of his career as a scientist under the thumb of Saddam and his minions, and the twists and turns this imposed on his life would surely have broken a lesser man. Somehow Mahdi found the strength to persevere the horrific threats, forced isolation from his wife and children, the unbearably stressful, not to mention insane schedules he often had to work under, and much much more.

Throughout the book he offers insights into the mind of Saddam Hussein that only someone who has experienced that brutal regime could truly comprehend. Try as we might, and as chilling as it often is, we can only imagine what it must have been like. As the top man in Saddam's nuclear program, he succeeded in enriching uranium and was well on the way to success in building a nuclear weapon. This fearsome weapon would have been in the hands of one of the world's true madmen, a tyrant whose only obstacle to surpassing Hitler in atrocities committed was his lack of power to do so. What if he had succeeded though in his nuclear ambitions? How does the world disarm someone like that? The prospect is chilling and it CAN happen again. Read this book, you will learn how and get a glimpse of what must be done to prevent it.

Below is a short quote from the CIA website at https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol48no4/bombs_in_garden.html;

"The Bomb In My Garden is not documented with sources, but the names, dates, and events discussed allow checking of key facts. Moreover, the former head of the UN Iraqi Survey Group, David Kay, and a number of American nuclear specialists find the story largely accurate and compelling as indicated by their comments in the book and on the dust jacket. Mahdi Obeidi concludes that Saddam came close to having an atom bomb in 1991 and probably intended to restart the program given an opportunity. As to the future, Obeidi warns the reader that "illicit nuclear programs share a common weak spot: they need international complicity" to succeed, and there are many unemployed nuclear scientists still in Iraq."

In other words, it is likely in Obeidi's opinion that Saddam had a passion for the bomb that only his deposing and subsequent execution could stop...........

This book reads like one of the best spy thrillers, without the ending comfort of knowing it's only fiction.

Obeidi's story puts into perspective the frail protection that exists against the development and use of nuclear weapons in the world today.
A complex issue often over simplified is illuminated by this factual account of how close Iraq came to the development of weapons grade uranium and the bomb.

This book should be required reading.

I just finish reading the book of Mahdi Obeidi.
I found informative, interesting and entertaining.
In his book the author manipulate us into being sympathetic and compassionated for his case.
(just as Albert Speer would have done)
I certainly do not deny that to work in an oppressive dictatorship is extremely difficult and that most of us one day or the other compromises our integrity for our job security or for the safety or the security of those we love.
Nevertheless at the end we stand responsible and accountable for our acts, especially if we are men and women of faith.
One day every one of us will have to give an account for his/her actions or in-actions.
It will cost us; sometimes a lot or even everything to stand for what we know is right or is true, even our freedom or the live of these we love.
DC Obeidi took the chance to have thousands or millions killed, thank to his efforts, to protect himself and his immediate family.
The Nazi engineers did just the same.
Would Dc Obeidi have had any pride at all if one of the atomic bomb, that he helped to built, had landed on Israel or another county and killed thousand or millions?
I believe that he would have.
Would he have turned down the honors and the rewards from the government he served?
I believe that he would have not.
Adolf Eichmann was very proud of killing millions of Jews very efficiently as good Nazi bureaucrat.
Dc Obeidi is not different, he just did not had the chance to go to the end of the experimentation.
To stand or not to stand is what distinguish a man from a slave.
If nothing else Dc Obeidi was and still is a slave of his fears.

Once you get started you won't be able to put this book down. This oral hisory shows how honorable, intelligent people with the best intentions can be forced to do the work of a corrupt regime. Thank you, Mr. Obeidi, for coming forward with your story revealing the individuals and countries (including our own) that made the acquisition of nuclear-producing components possible, in spite of the nuclear ban. It makes the current situation of nuclear fuel enrichment in Iran and North Korea all the scarier. Thank you, Kurt, for organizing this story so well and making the scientific jargon so easily understood.

The Bomb in My Garden was very easy to read and held my interest throughout. Although I did not know Dr. Mahdi as a student at Colo School of Mines, he was in school at the same time as I, graduating three years after me. That added to my interest in the book.

It gives an insight into the kind of goverment Dr. Mahdi had to work under and give in to.

If you are cautious on your personal finance and don't want to just listen to your financial advisor, the book might be good for you. It covers a lot of topics of personal finance. The second part is especially good. It talks about the financial issue at life time changes such as marriage, becoming parents, divorce, etc. Very solid information on tax issues. A lot of tips on tax saving.

This is a great book. It is full of helpful information on the financial planning process. I highly recommend it!

Thanks!!! Books are fantastic and came as described. Great transaction!!!!

When I started teaching financial planning to US Air Force officers planning on reentering the general economy it was a little known subject and you had to scout up your material from pamphlets, magazines and newspapers with help from stockbrokers.
"Ernst & Young's Personal Financial Planning Guide" published by John Wiley & Sons, which is the same publishing house that publishes the JK Lasser's tax manual puts the information all in one volume.
Of intense interest to us is the chapter on starting your own business, which as authors we are doing in our senior years. The material is geared to the younger generation who are just starting out, but the advice is sound and easy to understand without an extensive background in accounting and economics.
Financial planning is rough at this period in our history, because of the skyrocketing prices of necessary goods and services not used in the consumer price index, hence they are excluded from inflation percentage calculations. Gasoline, medicines and health care are three I can name, off hand, that affect the general population, but fall outside the index. This phenomena is not addressed in the planning guide, but then Congress has not touched it since the Johnson adminstration either. It is not something that winning the lottery will answer for an individual, but it is like trying to hold a large balloon half-full of water in one-hand and keep it round.
"Personal Financial Planning Guide' is the best we have found for a realistic look at all aspects of financial planning. The table of contents and index are outstanding for locating information.
Nash Black, author of "Taxes, Stumbling Blocks & Pitfalls for Authors 2007."

Absolutely one of the best financial planning reference tools around! If your personally planning to restructure your financial life or hire a professional to do it for you, then this book is a must have. It provides a wealth of information as well as an extensive array of guidelines and tips for every area of your life . I especially like that it brings to light concerns of areas you may not be immediately affected by (aging parents) but should be planning for now. Having hired a professional, this book has proved Indispensable in that we have been able to knowingly select and plan individual or particular methods of approach towards our financial futures and better implement them through a professional planner!!!

Nita Leland has a wonderful way of inspiring her readers and making them feel more comfortable with color and paint. Doing the exercises in the book are an essential part of the experience and should not be skipped.

This book is everything I hoped it would be. I am a novice painter, working in acrylics, and wanted some basic info on color theory. This is it. The information is comprehensive yet easy to understand with exercises for the reader to do in any medium. I was so impressed that I bought her Exploring Color Workbook to go with it. This is highly recommended for the artist wanting to expand her color theory expertise.

One of the first books I've looked at that explains color in non technical terms. It has examples of how to use these colors in your paintings. There are several step by step instructions on using different color combinations as well as many exercises for you to do on your own. There's a companion coloring book which is helpful but not necessary. An outstanding book for beginners wanting to know more about color theory. The author has a web site and is very helpful in answering any questions.

Before reading this book I'd had an attitude about 'color theory' and such - or at least the teaching of it. Anything I read was either imperious and demanding or so complicated that I'd be lost in the first chapter.

But this book doesn't order you to do things a certain way. It explains what results you will get doing this and what results you'll get doing that. There is no highbrow judgment here about the only "correct" way to do anything. It is clearly written, with lots of pics and examples, and is completely accessible. What a breath of fresh air!

The book begins with a little bit of the history of color in paintings and the physics of color mixing. She doesn't bog down the book with it though. She gives just enough information to put the use of color in painting into context and as a starting point if one wants to do further research.

Then comes the more detailed information. This starts out simply and builds with each chapter. She explains why things happen in color combining and mixing and how to get the desired results. Color in painting is a detailed and complex subject, but, while she encourages you to learn it all, she is never demeaning or rigid that one has to know all this front and back before painting. She explains why knowing all this will help and improve your painting.

In other words she makes me *want* to learn all this rather than making me feel like I *have* to learn it.

One thing to note is the she uses watercolor in her examples and exercises so some adjustment may be necessary for oils.

There are also lots of things to practice in the book. She has exercises for everything she teaches. So when you're done you will have a tremendous visual reference library. I have lots of art books but this one will stay OFF the shelf and easily accessible. The use of color isn't something that can be learned overnight, so do yourself a favor: get this book.

I bought this based on other reviews about it. I don't know doodley about color and have always gone on gut instinct...and I've painted over a lot of ruined canvas and wasted a lot of paint.
This is an excellent little book with a lot of exercises to make it all quite clear. Every page teaches me something - I have so far had quite a few "AHA" moments. I am beginning to understand why sometimes a color works and sometimes it is just a little off...
I recommend this for everyone. Thank you Nita Leland.

This book has practical advice. And the recipes are pretty darn good, and amazingly inexpensive. He relies heavily on beans and canned tomatoes and lots of spices, so the food is interesting in flavor, color, and texture. Most recipes also make a LOT, so that you can have extras to freeze for later dinners or take some to work in your lunch. This not only saves your eating plan, but softens the blow to your pocketbook that eating out entails. We have not found too many recipes yet, that we dislike. Most are very delicious and filling and are even better the next day. This book was indeed worth the purchase price; equal amounts of advice and recipes. Well done!

I think any one concerned about their health should take a look at this book. The recipes are great too.

I started researching this topic about 2 years ago when my 35 year old husband became violently sick one night, he went the next morning for a blood test and his triglycerides were over 1800. They should be around 150 for a normal person. My husband has what Dr. Murkin calls Diabetic genes (all of his siblings and father suffer from high tri's & cholesterol). His HDL was 20 and his cholesterol was 400. After 2 weeks on Murkin, tricor and niacin he's bloods were in a good range. Since my husband & I prefer not to take medicine, he dropped the niacin and tricor after about a month. His bloods remained low with just the Murkin Diet. He began cheating about 6 months ago and spiraled out of control, a recent blood test showed tri's up above 2000. We are back on the diet in a big way and we will never go off of it again. I highly recommend this book!!

I edit cookbooks for a living, and this is one of my favorites from which to cook. If a strict fat-free diet isn't necessary for you, modify as I do by saut?eing veggies in a little olive oil, and feel free to improvise with substitutes. But this book is solid and full of creative, colorful food and wonderful flavor combinations.

Fat Free, Flavor Full is the book where Dr Mirkin lays down the thought and the science behind his 20-gram/ "20/30" plan. If a Mirkin book has been recommended to you by a doctor, this is the book to read (get it from the library if you must, but do get it). He lays out his story, explains why genuinely low-fat diet is important, and the links between high fat and disease. I cannot recommend this book enough for those with high cholesterol, who have typeII diabetes, or TypeII runs in their family.

For most Americans it requires a bit of a seachange in eating habits, but it's well worth it. With the right foods, you can lose weight while eating as much as you want(I work in a very physically demanding job, build up a whale of an appetite, and teeny portions of food are simply NOT going to cut it!).

His tone can be a bit magisterial at times and I personally don't share his dislike for soybean products, but the science and reasoning behind this book are undeniable. If you are serious about losing extra weight and living healthier, get this book. Read it, absorb it, make the change, and live better.

Great book - see his site at http://wwww.brianpowerwaters.com.

I thoroughly enjoyed Margin for Error: None, and I thank you for every chapter. There are a lot of men and women controllers out there that feel the same way I do about people like you. Thanks again. Gary Lashbrock, Miami Tower.

Margin for Error: None outlines his views on the nation's air traffic control system. Included were such chapters as "Danger, FAA at Work" and "Controllers Mate It Work." Baltimore Sun

Captain Power-Waters "tells it like it is" through the use of many examples. Unfortunately, those who should read this book-FAA officials-probably won't. C.W. Glines (author of numerous books on aviation) in Airline Pilot Magazine.

This book was published in 1980, and then again in 2001 but not updated. All material is at least 23 years old.

Perry Ludy's book, Profit Building examines a powerful dichotomy for business in the new millennium. It empowers commerce to make effective choices to achieve profit building by cutting costs without cutting people.

Profit Building is also an imperative to examine conventional business models during periods of economic uncertainity. This book is precise, concise and truly on the cutting edge of contemporary issues in today's economy.

Profit Building is a must read for savvy business management - or those who expect to join the ranks - to "get ahead of the curve" or virtually reinvent the human possibilities.

Reviewed by former Group Publisher CBS.

If you are looking for a way to increase profits in your organization, I strongly recommend that you start by first reading Profit Building - Cutting Costs Without Cutting People. Mr. Ludy takes you step by step though the process of building an on-going profit build team for your organization. We have used it as a blueprint for our company and it has really turned our employees. The book moves fast and I found it to be an easy read.

Perry J. Ludy, a seasoned executive, presents his strategies for building profits and cutting costs in this well conceived book. He provides a team-based, profit-making plan that companies of any size could implement. In this simple, highly effective book, Ludy dispels myths about cutting costs and building profits. He uses examples from his professional experience to show his suggestions in action. We [...] recommend this book to managers and executives who are responsible for cost cutting and profit building.

As one CEO said to me recently, "No one who has a conscience ever wants to lay anyone off." Yet the headlines are filled with announcements that companies are making massive cuts in jobs and employees. Recently, these cuts are even coming in the fastest growing technology industries. If people don't like to fire anyone and people don't like to be fired, why is this happening?

Mr. Ludy argues that faced with missing budgets, the orders come down to spend less. Most people do know how to fire someone, so that option gets plenty of attention. Most people do not know many other ways to cut costs or boost profits in the short term, so the alternatives get little attention.

Our firm did a study more than a decade ago that has been quoted in dozens of books and magazine articles. We found that the stocks of companies which did layoffs usually underperformed the stocks of companies that did not. By the end of four years, the differences were enormous in favor of those who did not do layoffs.

Many people believe that this is because people do layoffs poorly, and many people do. But it also because the effort that goes into the layoffs could be better deployed in activities that increase profits. Usually, the bulk of those who go are the most employable people. They end up working for the competition, or having to be hired back as expensive consultants. How does either alternative help, while you are paying severance benefits as an additional cost?

Mr. Ludy points out, based on his extensive experience, that most executives, managers, and supervisors know little about profit improving.

Much of the recent training in companies has been on how to reduce errors, and that may help cut costs in main processes. That learning is often of little help in secondary processes and in areas where the processes need to be totally replaced, revised, or outsourced. Xerox and Motorola are both famed for their quality processes, and both companies are struggling now to make a profit.

Mr. Ludy has developed a process described in the book that helps to get people focusing on the best opportunities, and following through to implement the opportunites that they select. He also provides lists of items which many companies ignore, to help get the process started.

Although I have not seen this process working in practice, it is similar enough to elements of successful processes I have seen that is has credibility to me.

If you decide to pursue this process, I suggest that you can improve upon it. First, rather than just having one small team working on this, you should try to get as many people working in small teams as possible. The most successful profit-improvement program I ever saw involved over 14,000 people in suggesting ideas. Second, be sure to compare the performance you are achieving in one part of the company with what you are achieving in another part of the company in the same activity. Most large companies get their best ideas from benchmarking to their own best practices. Third, be sure to create an e-intelligence capability to get more information to everyone about how the company is performing. E-Business Intelligence is a book that can help you understand this point better.

The three strengths of Mr. Ludy's process to me are:

1. The emphasis on finding ways to improve profits, without hurting people.

2. Training people about how to improve profits.

3. Eliciting questions to locate opportunities.

In regard to the second point, you may find it helpful to read Dr. Ram Charan's new book as well, What the CEO Wants You to Know. That book focuses on simple business concepts and metaphors to make everyone better able to relate to the issues of the enterprise.

One of the major weaknesses of companies is that leaders are often asked to pursue tasks for which they do not have relevant information, experience, or training. Where else does your company have this issue? In my experience, two areas stand out.

(1) Finding better solutions to repetitive problems.

(2) Choosing directions that will lead to better results, regardless of business conditions.

May you find more intelligent, and more humane, ways to profit!

It is axiomic that the role of the firm is to maximise profit; some would say to maximise shareholder value. Profit can be increased by selling goods and services at a premium price that the customer is prepared to pay. However, in a highly competitive environment, prices can be depressed and the company may have to focus on cutting costs whilst maintaining an acceptable level of service and quality.

With the various economic shocks that the world is subjected, one typical and favourite target for cost cutting is reducing the workforce. This short-sighted approach to cost cutting not only causes a lot of human suffering but seldom achieves the intended objective of reducing costs in the long-run. Perry Judy proposes a more progressive approach that focuses on profit improvement. The Profit-Building Process that the author proposes appears to be an effective and workable method for building profit without employing the short-sighted and often self-defeating cost-cutting through cutting people.

I work in the airline industry where people cutting is a favourite strategy employed during lean times. Very often, following the drastic reduction in manning levels, service levels are reduced to such an extent that customers are turned away, further worsening the plight of the airlines concerned. The step-by-step approach of building on-going profit through motivated teams appears to be an excellent strategy for companies to employ when cost-cutting is required.

The book is required reading for all managers tasked with the responsibility to cut costs and build profits in any department.

The Ballad of Carl Drega is one of several important books which every library should have. Along with other eye opening titles such as Molon Labe! and Unintended Consequences, these are must reads for those who have an inkling something is rotten in the state of America. Despite it being a series of essays, it flows quite well and never lets up with telling the truth of the danger we find America in. It is worth every penny, though if you cannot afford check out your library.

It is a great eye opener to the tyranny around us all.

That could very well be a legitimate legal defense some day. Certainly this book goes a long way toward detailing the million and one ways that we suffer from a surfeit of government.
Mr Suprynowicz does an excellent job of pointing out that tyranny comes in many forms. That sometimes the most aggravating forms are those of the petty bureaucrats and local governments who refuse to use compassion or common sense in the course of their duties.

This book is an easier and more entertaining read than his previous "Send in the Waco Killers", which read like a collection of his columns. "Ballad" follows a logical progression towards the inescapable conclusion that freedom and regulation are at opposite ends of a scale.

Guaranteed to irritate Republicans and Democrats alike.

Do not let the fact that this text is a "collection of essays" disuade you. Neither should you be dissuaded about the month waiting period for a new copy to arrive. Order several copies and earn a profit by selling via Amazon's Marketplace!

This thoughtful book forced me to take a fresh look at the incredible power's that have been given the IRS, FBI, ATF (BATFE) - just to name a few. Upon opening the book, I was under the distinct impression that I was a "citizen" residing in a "representative democracy." It has become clear to me that the Bill of Rights (which unquestionably grants me the rights of a true citizen) has been usurped by a runaway police state - where I resemble a well-trained slave. Does that mean I hate police, FBI, IRS, ATF(BATFE)? No. Although, I feel strongly that law-abiding citizens must reclaim their citizenship birthrights from these (and other) superiorly armed and trained slave masters. Vin asks rhetorical questions throughout his essays. My favorite question is "how can the government prohibit law-abiding citizens from owning particular weapons?" You see, our government inherits powers from "we the people." Therefore, if one citizen cannot lawfully prohibit another citizen from owning an assault rifle - how can Uncle Sam? It matters not that a "duly elected government" passed this law, because the Bill of Rights are God given and cannot be usurped. These essays are more powerful than a linear text and have been the genesis of heartfelt powerful pro-liberty thoughts. Subsequently, it is impossible for me to look upon my government as benign. In fact, I feel much like Benjamin Franklin must have. Ben Franklin was enamored with England and was residing there during the "Colonial Stamp Tax Revolt." It pained Benjamin to hear of his Colonial brothers resisting the "just command of his Majesty." I was staunchly pro-FBI during Waco & Ruby Ridge, because I watched mainstream media. Now I'm disgusted with my weak thinking - I sincerely apologize to the victims and surviving family and friends. I have come to the conclusion that our government has purposely overstepped its boundaries and now violently snuffs-out those small groups that see the wolf for what it is. The police-state may already be invincible, having already achieved critical mass - but I find some solace in the fact that I am no longer acting like a deferential pawn. I will resist illegitimate authority from this day forward. Thank you Vin! Sorry it's taken me so long to wake up. In my defense, I was public schooled. Also, I recommend Boston's Gun Bible (revised edition).

An outstanding look at the unending chain of abuses that are heaped on us by our government and the obvious, but tragic results. The Ballad of Carl Drega is a collection of articles and notes from 1994 -2001 by the award-winning Libertarian columnist Vin Suprynowicz. Carl Drega, Gary Watson, Donald Scott, Peter Williams, and the victims of Ruby Ridge and Waco are the martyrs in the raging War Against Freedom. This expose goes where no others dare. Vin exposes the War that has been declared on our rights in his essays on Taxes, Western Land Grabs, Environmentalism, Gun Laws, Vaccinations, and the "Mandatory government youth propaganda camps, still known to most as the 'public schools'".

He challenges you to focus on the victims' plight and leaves you wondering how on earth there are not similar "last stands" on a regular basis. Unfortunately, I fear that there will be many more Carl Drega's before Vin's next book is released.

I have given this book my highest recommendation and consider it a must-read for freedom lovers, patriots, libertarians, journalists, and concerned parents. If you don't like to loan out your favorite books, you might be wise to order more than one copy.

This is a great companion to Joy Bauer's groundbreaking 90/10 Plan. This is a diet plan that doesn't feel like one and offers stunning results without giving anything up. The recipes are accessible, easy to prepare, and offer a wide range of options for even the fussiest of eaters. This is a book to be used for years to come.

I was a little intimidated when I saw the recipes, because some of them have a lot of ingredients. Well, a lot for me, who's more of a '4 ingredients or less' type of person. But they're explained really well, and the steps themselves are simple. The ingredients that I've encountered so far are simple to find, and the results are tasty, simple food. Some of the receipes might be a little too elementary for people who have a clue in the kitchen, but I really don't, so it helps me out a lot. Plus, there's a section for kid-friendly dishes, and another that puts together menus for 'fancy meals' with 2-3 dishes. They're a bit more exotic than the tuna salad and angel hair pasta picatta I've tackled thus far.

Oh, and before the section on recipes they have general cooking tips, which is really great. I really like the 'aisle-by-aisle' guide section. It helps to know how to properly store the fruits and veggies I get (and for how long), and what the different health aspects are to different types of fish or poultry or beef, or what different spices are typically used for.

So, for me, this was a great book. Now my only problem is I have so many leftovers piling up because I want to try everything!

Love this book! Lots of great recipes and easy planning.

I had thought this book would be full of common recipes but instead the recipes have lots of ingredients & are just more than I was looking for.

I bought the Cooking with Joy and The 90/10 Weight Loss Cookbook. These two books are exactly the same with different looking covers. I'm shipping one back. Just wanted to save others the hastle.