Controls Books

1) 'Danger in the Comfort Zone: From Boardroom to Mailroom: How to Break the Entitlement Habit That's Killing American Business'
by Judith M. Bardwick

2) 'We Are All Self-Employed: How to Take Control of Your Career'
by Cliff Hakim

'Danger in the Comfort Zone' is one of the very good books I had acquired while attending a boot-camp for entrepreneurs in the United States during the early nineties. (My copy is actually the earlier edition.) At that time, I had read it very seriously. I had really liked the author's ideas of earning mentality (or habit) vs entitlement mentality (or habit).

The many problems & scenarios which the author had described candidly about the American workplace were not much different, when I compared them with Singapore's. Contemporarily, Singapore's employers had encountered the same dilemma. It was only after the economic recession during the mid-eighties & then the Asian financial fiasco during the late nineties that employees' attitudes, in both the private as well as public sector, had changed tremendously. Likewise, employers' attitudes had also followed suit.

At first glance, the author would seem to have criticised employees but I feel the principal premise of the book is more to urge employees to take charge of their own lives by getting out of the comfort zone & moving into the stretch zone. That is true self empowerment: adopt the earning mentality rather than the entitlement mentality!

Of course, employers would have to play their part to gain employees' confidence & trust. Their 'command & control' attitude in the past would have to change.

Hence, I would strongly recommend readers to read also 'We Are All Self-
Employed: The New Social Contract for Working in a Changed World' by Cliff Hakim. This book was written in the mid-nineties & my copy is also the earlier edition.

I feel the two authors' brilliant ideas gel very well with each other. In fact, their combined work will make more sense when read syntopically. They will help you transform the way you think about & approach your employment in the corporate world.

To paraphrase the latter book: "It will inspire you to move from the role of dependent employee, ever-adapting to survive, to independent-Interdependent worker, ever-creating to succeed. You'll learn to embrace a "self-employed" attitude to achieve the success you have always yearned for. Adopting a "self-employed" attitude will prepare you for the inevitable changes that come with time, & help you create a new definition of success rooted in your own interests, skills, values, & desires. It will help you move from merely surviving on the job to engaging your creativity - embedded in the responsibility symbolized by self-employment - & successfully employing yourself in a way that draws on your talents, interests, & deepest values."

I had really enjoyed reading both books tremendously.

In some way & to some extent, the wonderful ideas from the two foregoing books had consciously as well as unconsciously contributed to my eventual decision to take charge of the second half of my life.

This book is more useful that Parachute because it acts as a career counselor. The questions, exercises, and advice don't overwhelm the reader allowing him/her to finish the book. Hakim doesn't belittle the reader for being lost. One quote stands out: "You must be willing to "be lost enough to find yourself."" Robert Frost p 200.

'We Are All Self-Employed' is not just a good book, it is an important book. The author's message, while inspirational, is firmly grounded in the reality of today's world of work. It is essential reading for anyone looking to take charge of his or her career regardless of whether they are just starting out, in mid-career, unemployed or just thinking about improving the quality of their work life. It most certainly belongs on the bookshelf of any career professional committed to helping others reach their career potential.

Doctor Russell is without equal ..Unmatched ...in his Brilliant Book ...he answers so many questions that I had been pondering for years ,especially the Saudi \China Ballistic missile connection ...anyone looking to make a career in the Goverment or Criminal Justice \Homeland security has to read this ..I could not put it down ...

This book probably will be as readable as his Kennan book. Russell writes clearly and edits relentlessly.

It is only when the books begin to come out that we really understand what was happening in the world. This book is on weapons of mass destruction (WMD's) in the Middle East and in selected parts of the far east.

Perhaps the most intriguing part is the discussion of Iraq and Saddam Hussein and the part that WMDs played in the decision by President Bush to go to war. While his reporting isn't likely to change the opionions of the Democrats who are convinved that Bush lied, he reports on the discussions between Saddam and representatives from Russia and France and the belief of intelligence agencies that were happening at the time.

Other parts of the book cover the plans and activities of countries like Saudi Arabia (who has lots of money) and Pakistan (who has nuclear technology), Iran and of course North Korea.

With the current state of the world and the changes from a bi-polar world where the U.S. and the Soviet Union held things in a kind of stasis, we now live in a multi polar world complete with terrorists organizations that seek WMDs. This well written, exhaustively researched book clearly reflects a lot of thinking and analysis that provides a welcome bit of understanding in a confusing area of current internaional relations.

This book is great for those who want to use the old Weight Watchers program.

I love it! It is complete with program guidelines, food lists, menus and recipes.

Highly recommended.

This is a great book for those who want to use the past Weight Watchers Program. It is complete with daily food amounts, food lists, menus, and recipes. I use it like a Bible.

The only thing it is missing is a food journal but I types one up on my computer and now my program is complete.

Before going on Weight Watchers and starting with this cookbook, I truly thought delicious food had to be complicated.

The recipes in here totally turned my thinking around. I now realize that little needs to be done to any food item to really enhance it. The soups in this are excellent, the protein dishes delicious (meat/fish/beans), the vegetables great.

A subsequent Weight Watchers cookbook was good, too, but couldn't hold a candle to this one!

Dr. Schaeffer and Dr. C. Evert Koop have written a masterful book on the "roberry of life" in the world, and particularly, Western Culture. Interestenly, this text, written over 20 years ago addresses the "devaluation of human life" and prophetically predicts the acceptance of redefining what it means to be a person and alive.

Ideas now coming to the forefront on news programs and the like, are already discussed here. Items such as "genetic" knowledge and its impact on abortion and infanticide. Further, Euthanasia is also discussed.

The last two chapters deals with "The Basis For Human Dignity" and what should be the response of the Christian. The arguments are solid, yet, written in a style that lay-people can easily understand and follow. This book crosses educational lines and denominational barriers between Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox; since it is a subject of great importance to all Christians. A must have.

This book was originally published in 1979 and revised in 1983. Before Terri Schiavo, before assisted suicide laws, before Dr. Kevorkian, even before C. Everett Koop was Surgeon General of the U.S., he and the late Francis Schaeffer, a prominent theologian, were sounding a warning about the growing devaluation of human life and how it would lead to infanticide and euthanasia.

I'm just in the process of reading this book right now. It is so right on that it's eery to read it now more than 25 years after its first publication. I recommend this book for background reading for everyone who is continuing Terri's battle for justice. Share it with your friends, too, who think there is nothing wrong with what was done to Terri Schiavo.

This book is very accurate prophesy as to what would happen when abortion became legal in any country that legalized it. First came taking life in the womb before it is born, then came taking it in infancy (i.e "Baby Doe" cases in the 1980's, China's infanticide of second children and our country's Susan Smith murder case and "prom parents" in the 1990's). A must for those who think abortion, infanticide and euthanasia are "rights" that are freely chosen.

My teenager daughter has been refusing to go to school, posting revealing self-portraits on the internet, and defying me on just about every issue. Like the parents described in this book, I am frustrated, guilty, and burned out (whipped). Some days, I just don't even want to come home from work.

This book really helped me to see my daughter and myself in a different light. I understand more about her now, and how my behavior has kind of fed her behavior. I also feel equipped to deal with the stuff she throws my way. I'll be on my TOES from now on!

If you're looking for a book that will teach you how to control your child, this isn't it. In fact, this book is more about you than it is about your kid. And after reading it, I realize that I don't WANT to "control" her either. I can see her aggravating traits as potential strengths, too.

As I read this book, however, I was struck by the similarities in some of the stories to my 10-year-old step-son. He's having even more behavioral problems than my daughter (he's more like Top Dog, she's more like Slug). Before reading this book, I thought boot camp might be the answer. However, now I'm recommending that my fiance read this book, too!

If you're considering boot camp -- STOP! Read this book first!!!

The Whipped Parent is a powerful resource simply written and easy for any parent to understand. It's a guide to help parents regain their sanity through learning to change their own thought processes, behaviors and responses. It is key for parents to understand the difference between control and influence and how that difference impacts their relationship with their child. The Whipped Parent clearly shares an abundance of tools and ideas on how to endure raising an Out-of-Control Teen. This is indeed a must read survival book! Deni

Kim and Marney have written a book that has been too long in coming for parents with out-of-control children. When my child was a teen (back in the early 90s) there was no help for me, no where to turn, no book to read. I felt like a failure as a parent, thinking it must be my fault that my child was out of control. Kim and Marney's book made me realize that I WAS (and am)a good mother. Anyone with a child who is bordering on oppositional defiance or conduct disorder should definitely read this book. It will be like a livesaver in an ugly storm.

For Many years I have been looking for a way to prepare traditional soul food in a healthy way without compromising the taste. My favorite dishes such as macaroni and cheese, greens, sweet potatoes, has become almost synonymous with cholesterol. The author of the book "Whole Food, Soul Food," approaches the standard "soul" dishes from a different perspective. She introduces the concept of cooking our favorite dishes using whole foods. She clearly defines what whole food is for those of us who may be clueless. She provides a chart comparing the calories of certain soul food dishes cooked the traditional way versus the "whole food" way.

The author writes in a way that is educational and informative, yet interesting and humurous. She discusses the pros of incorporating whole foods into our every day diet and gives you a step by step approach to achieve that goal. Every chapter concludes with a "Things to Do" list which gives more structure to your planning. She gives you a shopping list to get you started and sample menus which are extremely helpful.

The recipes in the book are straightforward and easy to follow. In addition, the author gives the nutritional break-down of each recipe (calories, protein, fat grams, carbohydrate, etc...) and the dietary exchange.

I have already tried a couple of the recipes including the "Home Fried Chicken" and "Pa's Sunrise Scramblers" and was pleasantly surprised at how flavorful and enjoyable the dishes were. I would highly recommend this book to those who are looking for a healthier way to cook traditional soul food dishes. I can wait to try more!

I don't consider myself a "reader", though I read. I wouldn't say I am a "lover of books" as some love books. However, this book, WHOLE FOOD, SOUL FOOD, has my attention. The colors on the cover and the title caught my eye from across a room. Who could resist 'Finger Lickin' way to fight fat. Incongruent!,
I thought.

Closer examination of this book proves it to be educational. The chapters are just the proper length to hold my attention. The "To Do" lists relieve guess work and frustration. The recipes inspire the taste test. I am impressed with the content and format --- so much so I have recommended WHOLE FOOD, SOUL FOOD to the Health Leader of our church for use in the upcoming vegetarian cooking class.

This is a fun book to read. It is easy, quick reading and loaded with information which will enable you to develop and maintain a healthy life style. The author has used a great deal of humor, which makes the information even more receivable. Most of us have been crash dieting for years.
This information provides an incentive to eat right, and maintain a healthful outlook on life. The "To Do Lists" are wonderful. This is an exciting way to help the reader organize and remember key information. The recipes offer easy to obtain ingredients and they appeal to the appetite. I like the idea of having friends or family members test the receipes and bring them along for dinner.
This book is small enough for you to put it into your purse and take it along with you while grocery shopping. I love it! The busy person will enjoy this book and find it filled with wonderful, finger lickin' tasty meals. What a fun way to lose weight and stay healthy!

In this book, Prof. Janet Smith collects essays written before and after the issuance of the papal encyclical Humanae Vitae in 1968 reaffirming the Catholic rejection of contraception. It is a wonderful collection of essays, with my personal favorite being the incisive and crisp essay by the late British philosopher G.E.M. Anscombe (a woman, by the way) who cuts with brilliance through much of the muddled thinking about birth control. Another outstanding essay is by John Crosby on the philosophical personalism of John Paul II. In addition, included is a translation of the encyclical itself by Janet Smith based on the official Latin text.

The prophetic nature of the Church's teaching against contraception is seen in the current approval by some liberal Christians of the gay lifestyle. This outcome is not surprising because once the ban on contraception is rejected, there is no logical basis for objecting to nonprocreative homosexual acts. Even the liberal Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, who favors actively gay clergy, is on record as admitting that the embrace of contraception logically and eventually leads to the approval of the gay lifestyle.

Thus, the defenders of Humanae Vitae have been shown to be right. The Church's ban on contraception is central to Christian sexual morality. That is why the essays collected in this book are more important today than ever before.

As a Catholic I once had my doubts about the Church's teaching on contraception. Later I came to oppose contraception for practical reasons and out of obedience. Then one day I stumbled accross WHY HUMANAE VITAE WAS RIGHT and once I started reading there was no putting it down. The beauty of this work is that it is a collection of writings from a variety of authors each with a unique perspective and each with his own unique style. So then, there is something for everyone. Whether the reader preferrs to hear personal experiences or wants to see it all in a syllogism, this book delivers. This is a must read for anyone who is feeling pressured to disregard the Church's teaching for it shows the wisdom, beauty, and bottom line common sense of the Church's stance.

...my husband decided to not use any method of artificial birth control. It was a struggle for both of us, but this book really put the moral law into perspective. Janet Smith does a wonderful (and very non-preachy job) of explaining what contraception does to a marriage. In particular, the "testimony" chapter in this book was a thump on the head as we read about couples whose marriages improved when they started embracing their fertility as a gift, not a disease. Janet Smith believes contraception makes couples fight each other, and forces a woman to become constantly infertile to accomadate the constant fertility of a man. Thats one of the best reasons given in the book for the use of Natural Family Planning, so that the man must acclimate himself to his WIFE'S cyclical fertility.

This book is a must read no matter what you believe about the Catholic position on artificial birth control. Get the facts.

Exercises to foster a more positive attitude. Learn how to break destructive
behaviors and thinking. Find the answers for emotional well-being. Master
self-acceptance and transform your life! Highly recommend!

I believe this is cutting edge material. When people have been frozen in outdated paradigms left over from their early years, the material in this book and workbook will help them redecide in their own behalf how to take control of their unhealthy thoughts that do not work for them anymore and replace them with thoughts that bring lives into fruition. The tools and strategies used can take a person's life that is out harmony with itself and help that person live their bliss. It truly has helped me become an authentic spiritual person.

Powerful & life-changing stuff! As the Director of a Life Skills Adult Education Program, I have been amazed at the transformation I have seen in people having read this book & participating in the 10 week class. From issues of dependency, anger, loss & worry people have gained a new pespective and more importantly, the tools necessary to change their lives. It is effective both on an individual basis, small group setting or large-group format. A must read for all!

This is a great book for me because I can relate to the author. Some of the things he describes are exactly what I'm feeling. I'm using the approach he describes when fighting off a panic attack. It's getting easier to deal with panic attacks now. I'm looking forward to the day when panic attacks will be gone forever. Thanks for sharing your story.

Of all the books I've read on panic disorders, this was by far the easiest one for me to connect with. The author's style of writing made me feel as though he was an old friend having a conversation with me. As a sufferer of panic attacks, I felt like this book most accurately captured how I feel when panic sets in. The book was such an easy read, I passed it along to my family, and they found it very helpful. The author delivers his message in plain English. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has any experience with panic disorders.

I really connected with Rafe as I read about his experiences with panic attacks and agoraphobia. It's good to know that someone has been through the same things that I'm going through now, and to know that panic attacks and anxiety are not going to be permanent for me. I love his conversational tone. He explains things in a way that is easy to understand. He also states early on that he's just an "average Joe" that has lived through this. That's what I was looking for. Definitely no doctor speak in this book. I'm getting my life back! Thanks, Rafe.

Better Homes And Gardens 3 Steps To Weight Loss is the latest in a long tradition of tested excellence at Better Homes and Gardens. Written by the Director of Weight Management at Johns Hopkins University, it contains both method and means. This is Dr. Cheskin's plan:

1. Use the latest standards to determine your healthiest weight.
2. Find the calorie level uniquely tailored to your body.
3. Choose an easy-to-follow meal plan to fit your life style.

The best tools of all are the 100 plus imaginative, simple, sophisticated, tempting recipes he offers. Each is clearly presented with dietary exchanges, nutrition facts and daily values listed at the beginning of the recipe. Some examples are Chunky Chipotle Pork Chili, Curried Crab Salad, Vegetable Spring Rolls, Chicken and Garbanzo Bean Soup, Cheddar Polenta Puff, and Flax Seed Corn Bread, just to mention a few. An emphasis on fresh produce, imaginative use of herbs, spices, seasonings, and low fat and sugar make this a winning recipe collection for weight loss enthusiasts and healthy eaters.

There are even delectable desserts, such as Mango and Raspberry Tart, Mocha Pudding Cake, and Chocolate Snickerdoodles.

In addition to meal suggestions, Better Homes And Gardens 3 Steps To Weight Loss emphasizes the value of exercise and logging your meals and exercise. Finally, there are a week's worth of 1200 calorie sample menus. Beautiful colored photographs embellish the collection, offering further tempting serving suggestions. I can hardly wait to try them all!

Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer

In Better Homes And Gardens 3 Steps To Weight Loss, Dr. Lawrence Cheskin draws upon his expertise and experience at the Weigh Management Center at Johns Hopkins University to provide the non-specialist general reader with realistic solutions for losing weight, keeping it off, and maintaining a healthful, satisfying lifestyle through three basic steps involving nutritious eating, physical exercise, and behavioral changes. Step One is identifying the optimum and healthy weight for a particular height and build. Step Two is determining how many calories are needed to lose weight and maintain the weight loss. Step Three is a healthy eating plan based on caloric needs. To that end, the Better Homes And Gardens 3 Steps To Weight Loss showcases 110 superbly presented recipes enhanced with full color photography of the finished dishes. From Greek Lamb Salad with Yogurt Dress; Pork Medallions with Pear Sauce; and Chicken with Braised Spinach and Leek; to Sesame-Teriyaki Sea Bass; Sweet Bean Pilaf; and Mocha Pudding Cake, Better Homes And Gardens 3 Steps To Weight Loss will grace any family cookbook collection as an instant favorite!