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Jillian Jiggs
Published in Paperback by Scholastic (1988-07)
Author: Phoebe Gilman
List price: $2.99
New price: $44.09
Used price: $4.36

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jillian jillian jillian jiggs! it looks like your room has been lived in by pigs!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-09
this is a great story, both to read out loud and to read alone. it's about a girl whose mother wants her to clean her room, but her friends come over and they end up playing instead. her mother tells her a few times to go clean her room and she seemingly goes to do it, but she takes her friends with her, as well as her baby sister, and they get distracted by their imaginations, so we get to see them pretending to be a bunch of different things. at the end though her mother puts her foot down and tells jillian to clean her room, so she tells her friends to come back when her room is neater.

the book rhymes, which is amazing for reading out loud, or for singular readings, the flow is nice. the illustrations are great too, the characters look like they're having fun. the way they're drawn conveys a lot of energy and excitement, and yet the drawings are simple... i guess they kind of remind me of children themselves, not a whole lot to them, but invest your time and you'll have more than your share of fun.

this whole series is great. i recommend.

A perennial favorite
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-12
This was one of my favorite books as a little girl, and now my two little nieces can't get enough of it. I'm actually buying a replacement book now because the one we have is so worn out from reading it again and again. I definitely recommend it for the kids in your life.

Love this book!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-23
Awwww I feel like crying! This was one of my all time favorite books as a child! My favorite library teacher let me have it in 1st grade and I read it over and over until i knew the words by heart

I named my sister after Jillian
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-01
This was my favorite book as a child. When my mom found out she was pregnant with my sister, my parents allowed me to choose her name if she was going to be a girl. I decided to name her Jillian after my favorite book. When I was in 3rd grade I memorized the book and brought in my sister for show and tell. Anyway, this is the best book ever.

BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-04-30
This was my favorite book as a child, and in fact, my mom still has the book stashed away so that I will always have it. Being 21, I don't have any children of my own, however I will be sure to buy a new copy for them to enjoy since my own copy is definately worn out due to the millions of times I read it. Overall, this is the best book of all times and I will never forget how much fun I had reading this with my mom and reading it on my own.

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A Journey of the Imagination: The Art of James Christensen
Published in Hardcover by The Greenwich Workshop Press (1996-01-08)
Author: Renwick St. James
List price: $39.95
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More than just fantasy
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-09
I love this artist and am always inspired by this book. I first bacame familiar with this artist through a series of greeting cards made from his art. When my mother found this book we both had to have one. It is a nice shelf size, with full page and double page images. There are also excerpts that are blown up to show detail, sketches to show initial concept and process, and clever writing to keep you engaged in each piece. I was delighted as I read the book to find out just how much symbolism he uses. It makes his pieces much deeper than the common fanciful fantasy art. It was a real pleasure learning more about James Christensen. No matter how many times you look over these pictures, they will never get boring. You'll always see something new.

The Art of James Christensen
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-17
I love this book! I am an artist and illustrator. When I need inspiration to open my own creative juices, I study the pages of this book. Christensen's images come from a pure expression of the inner creative child blended with the quirky imagination of a "Renaissance" painter gone wild!

Must be an acquired taste
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 17 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-29
I got this book as a Christmas gift along with a painting by the artist. He's a good artist. Make no mistake about that. But you'd better be an ardent gamer to really enjoy his subject matter.

Well Named Book from the Land a Little Left of Reality
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-01
There's really no way to tell what James Christensen's art is like. It's as unsatisfactory as trying to describe what chocolate tastes like to the person who's never tasted it. It has to be experienced to be appreciated.

This is a wonderful collection reproducing almost all of Christensen's earlier work. It includes some "serious" works of which the artist clearly is a master, but his fantasy art is unlike anyone elses. It takes flights of fancy and works of whimsy to completely new heights. The person who can go through this delightful romp among a truly creative genius' works and not find themselves smiling for most of it is suffering from an atrophied sense of humor.

If you like fantasy, get this book. If you like art, get this book. If you have a sense of humor and the willingness to use it, get this book. Warning: you may have to take this book in small doses, or your smile may suffer from overwork.

A Magical Feast For The Eye
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2002-08-11
This book causes you to see through the eyes of a child again, playing with reality and delighting in possibilities. It gets your "imaginative juices" flowing to where you won't look at ordinary, every day objects in the same way again. The artist provides the reader with insight into his whimsy, while at the same time providing a magical feast for the eye!

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The Lion's Pride: Theodore Roosevelt and His Family in Peace and War
Published in Hardcover by Oxford University Press, USA (1998-10-29)
Author: Edward J. Renehan
List price: $55.00
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Theodore Roosevelt as a father.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-07
This is an excellent work about Theodore Roosevelt as a father. Although the author discusses his children throughout the book, the focus is on TR himself. One thing I have admired about President Roosevelt is that he loved being a father (although his relationship with his oldest daughter, Alice, was strained), and this drew me to read this book. I was not disappointed.

The author also gives us a glimpse into TR's father, Theodore Roosevelt, Sr., who was a very generous man with his time and money. After reading about him, I understood why TR valued public service.

Because the author focuses on the president, the reader will see how TR influenced his children to value public service. For example, all of his sons served in the military. Indeed, Quentin Roosevelt died as a pilot in a dogfight in World War I. The elder son, Theodore Roosevelt II, led the first wave on Utah Beach in Normandy on D-Day during World War II. He died of a heart attack some weeks later. Archie was declared 100% disabled in both World War I and World War II. Kermit also served well in both wars, but suffered from alcoholism and depression (TR's brother, who was Eleanor Roosevelt's father, also suffered from the same). Also, TR's youngest daughter, Ethel, served as a nurse in France in World War I.

This book is definitely worth reading to get a view of Theodore Roosevelt as a family man. I wish we had more elected officials like him today.

A Truly Unique and Fascinating American Family
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-29
Completely understanding TR is impossible without considering his children, or his own childhood for that matter. These are the foci of the "The Lion's Pride: Theodore Roosevelt and His Family in Peace and War." TR was deeply influenced by his father, a wealthy and generous, many would claim great man whose most glaring defect and regret was what amounted to a buy out of his Civil War service obligation. TR called him the "greatest man I ever knew." Yet, in many respects TR spent the rest of his life attempting to overcome and reverse this blemish upon the family record through extraordinary patriotism and service. Leading at the apex of conflict and danger was the duty of a great and privileged family. This credo was embraced wholeheartedly by his children, which makes for fascinating reading. While some would argue this compulsion became excessive and detrimental, the Roosevelt's had no regrets and curiously embraced their family tragedies in the midst of great pain. This phenomenon is particularly evident in the death of the youngest, Quintin while flying patrol over German lines in WWI. On the other hand, if you are looking for an in depth look at any one or more of the children this book will not suffice. Indeed, the early chapters focus on TR's life leading up to WWI, while the latter chapters are largely dedicated to his offspring's activities in young adulthood, particularly those related to the Great War. There is little regarding TR's close and often tender relationship with his children during their childhood in the White House or at Sagamore Hill. As a result, while I greatly enjoyed this book, I was hoping for more breadth and insight into the children's upbringing and their lives after TR's death.

Excellent distillation of Roosevelt's last years
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-06
Renehan's accounting of the last years of Theodore Roosevelt Jr. is condensed and fascinating. Mostly covering 1898 and 1910-1919, the book provides insight into the southern New York high society of the early 20th century. Famous names, including Vanderbilt, Roosevelt, Cowles, and Coolidge, parade across the pages.

Nuggets include the mention of Harvard in that time as a conservative and pro-military bastion (compared to today's institution fighting military recruitment in court), Woodrow Wilson viewed as an appeaser, a coward, and an appointer of bigots in his administration (in contrast to a reputation as being a visionary negotiator), observation by Gen. George Patton that Theodore's eldest son, Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt III, was a courageous commander- but no soldier (both father and son won the Medal of Honor...a feat perhaps not matched by any other American family), and the contrast highlighted between Kaiser Wilhelm's non-combat patronage of his sons (during WWI) and the former president Roosevelt's sons participating in front line combat. Another interesting fact: three of Roosevelt's four sons died in military service--one killed in action, one dead of a heart attack a month after D-Day and one day before he was to be promoted to major general, and one a suicide). The fourth suffered from the long term effects of severe war wounds.

Roosevelt is also revealed as a founding father of the original progressive movement...born out of the Republican party, no less. "Progressive" used to mean advocating sensible capitalism through the restraint of unlimited power of large corporations (through the Sherman Act) and the promotion of sound environmental policy and conservation. It also demanded the U.S. government uphold its main role--that of national defense. This is in stark contrast to today's "progressive" thinking--complete rejection of market economics and corporations, radical environmentalism, and pacifism. Roosevelt must spin in his grave.

All in all a great primer of the former president. Makes you want to immediately run out and read more.

Love TR
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-04-12
I read any book on TR. This one I was hoping would reveal more about his family. It still is a good read about TR.

Inspiring
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-27
This book made me want to be a better, more involved citizen. It really gets at the heart of this incredible family.

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Magus of Strovolos: Extraordinary World of a Spiritual Healer
Published in Paperback by Arkana (1985-10-31)
Author: Kyriacos C. Markides
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Extraordinary book for anyone into mysticism or esoterica
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-03
This truly exceptional and fascinating book delves into explaining karma, past lives, spiritual healing, going out-of-body (including how an advanced enough person adept at this skill could appear in more than one place simultaneously or the infamous 'doppelganger' phenomenon), the various layers of the spiritual realms, the manipulation of energy and matter, and much more in terms the lay or common person can understand.

If you're into qigong, chi manipulation or research into the same, mysticism of any kind, the paranormal, spiritual fulfillment or development or the like you may well find this a must-read. It is not a tutorial nor a "how-to" instructional tome for developing the abilities demonstrated by the subject of the book, so don't expect that, but in a field where so many books and videos on the subject don't live up to their title, Magus of Strovolos is an extraordinary, enlightening work- one of the few that explains the how's and why's of many esoteric practices and beliefs.

Fantastic read!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-19
This is an extraordinary read on the life of a "contemporary" mystic. I highly recommend it.

A tale of a teacher
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-25
An extraordianary tale of a teacher from Cypress. A must read story for everyone interested in growing one self

It is not Greek! It is amazing!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-10
This is about Gods work through this amazing healer in a such a remote island, Kyriakides nailed this one !!!!!!great book!!an eye opener to spiritual seekers!!!!!

a deeper view of the world we inhabit
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-03
I have often advised young people to travel the world, not as a tourist but for extended visits to immerse themselves in other cultures. If nothing else, the traveler encounters a diversity of beings and ways of living that change, to a greater or lesser degree, how one sees his or her normal life. New doors of perception open, new senses are enlivened, and when one returns "home" it is never quite the same as before. And that's what this book does to the spiritual or simply curious traveler.

Through young Markides' eyes, we stay at the home of a true magus, that is, one who understands how the life force operates beyond our normal perceptions. For the magus, it's somewhat of a workaday world of dealing with elemental beings, karmic energies (which he sometimes consciously "takes on" as a gift of mercy to others), and other forces of which we normal people are most often quite unaware. A magus, or magician, may be black (harmful) or white (helpful). In this case, get to see how a conscientious, helpful healer operates in a commonplace setting, surrounded by regular people. No pointy star-spangled hats or boiling pots of newts and goat hooves here. You'd walk right by him on the street.

This is a fascinating story sincerely chronicled by the author. We're given a peek behind the curtain of miracles and get a sense of how they happen, of what it takes (beyond the typical waving of a wand or sprinkling of stardust) to restore balance and healing where chaos and illness have prevailed. For anyone interested in the idea of natural or psychic healing, and to see how it happens in plausible, everyday circumstances, you'll really appreciate this story. Especially in this age of preposterous medical costs and the pharmaceutical shroud blanketing our health care system, it's encouraging to encounter a practice of real healing knowledge that's not only priceless, but free.

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The Mathematical Experience, Study Edition
Published in Hardcover by Birkhäuser Boston (1995-10-18)
Authors: Philip J. Davis, Reuben Hersh, and Elena Anne Marchisotto
List price: $54.95
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Collectible price: $65.00

Average review score:

Quick Delivery!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-30
I needed this book right away for a Summer school class, and I received the book less than a week after ordering it!

This is NOT the study edition
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-01
This is the wonderful first edition of The Mathematical Experience written by Philip J. Davis and Reuben Hersh. However it is NOT the study edition which was designed for use in the classroom. The ISBN number for the Study edition is: 0-8176-3739-7.
The authors are Davis, Hersh, and Marchisotto

Good approach and selection, mathematical aspect uneven
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-17
In my view, this book (which looks like a collection of articles gathered up under several rubrics) shares typical achievements and flaws of all popular-math literature; namely, it's enjoyable and enlightening as far as historical and philosophical aspects of the material presented, yet when they authors actually get to mathematics, it becomes fragmeted, jerky, and confused. Symptomatic of this is the chapter on nonstandard calculus: the historical narrative is very interesting, yet the math proper is confused and incomprehensible. Perhaps that is because it's impossible to express it fully and right in a popularizing context; perhaps it is so because I'm too obtuse to have understood it (but then the most of the target audience is probably no better); or maybe it's because the authors didn't do a terribly good job of it. The next chapter (Fourier analysis) suffers from the same.

Overall, I say, it's a good, although overrated, book. Read it, get what you can out of it and don't fret about the rest: the book is really a collection of articles, apparently written for different purposes, at different times, and for different publications; the quality of writing varies from section to section, although the overall structure and topicality are unquestionably very good. The book has an extensive and diverse bibliography along with a rather mediocre (close to names-only) index. Well, no book is perfect, including this one: overall it's solid four stars -- recommended.

Informative and engaging
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2004-11-09
The authors deal with various important aspects of mathematics and about practising mathematics. They also deal with the philosophy of mathematics. By and large, they do it engagingly. Specifically, they tackle why mathematics seems to 'work'; how a mathematician actually goes about doing mathematics; they offer some light treatment of a few mathematical topics, and they illustrate mathematical thinking as well.

This book is best read by students thinking about choosing mathematics as a career, or even just as a field of study. Although, any layperson will come off with a greater appreciation of what mathematics is, and what mathematicians do.

Philosophy, History and Myths of Mathematics
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2003-11-21
The Mathematical Experience by Philip J. Davis and Reuben Hersh
1981 Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston

Is all of pure mathematics a meaningless game? What are the contradictions that upset the very foundations of mathematics? If a can of tuna cost $1.05 how much does two cans of tuna cost (Pg. 71)? If you think you know the answer, don't be so sure. How old are the oldest mathematical tables? What is mathematics anyway, and why does it work? Can anyone prove that 1 + 1 = 2?
This is a book about the history and philosophy of mathematics. I'm certainly not a mathematician, and there are parts of the book I will never understand, yet the balance of it made the experience well worth while. The authors presented the material so that it is interesting and (mostly) easily understood. They have a creative way of making a difficult subject exciting. They do this by giving us insights into how mathematicians work and create. They live up to the title making mathematics a human experience by adding fascinating history. Frankly I was shocked when they pointing out how even mathematicians have made questionable assumptions and taken some basic "truths" on faith. They show the beauty of math in the "Aesthetic Component" chapter. Ultimately the question that comes up again and again is the question of whether or not we can really know anything about time and space independent of our own experience to make an adequate foundation for a complete system in mathematics. If you have ever wondered about the world of mathematics and the personalities involved you might consider this book. If you are a mathematics teacher you should read this book. If you are a mathematician you could find it quite unsettling.
It contains eight chapters, each one broken up into many subtitles so if you do get bogged down in the mathematics it isn't for long. There are 440 pages. I'd like to see a much more complete glossary for people like me who need it.

C
May It Please the Court: Live Recordings and Transcripts of Landmark Oral Arguments Made Before the Supreme Court Since 1955 (with MP3 Audio CDs)
Published in Paperback by New Press (2007-10-01)
Author:
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Average review score:

Why Buy?
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-03
Peter Irons as a professorial reviewer brings much to the table, but it should be known that these recordings (and many, many more) are available at no charge either from the National Archives (should you happen to be in College Park, Maryland, and have the time and inclination to listen to or to copy them from a collection of mostly reel-to-reel tapes), or, more accessibly, from the web site [...].

When it comes to the major cases in the Warren era, the listening can be somewhat sluggish, as the Court through the Warren years did not feature a particularly hot bench (the arguments were often momentous, but not usually lively), and tended toward multi-hour arguments in major cases. In the late- and post-Warren years, however, as both the justices and the advocates become more vocally passionate, the listening is more often stirring both for the professionally trained legal mind and for the lay listener.

Listen to School Law Landmark Cases
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-19
This book and its corresponding tapes are great to read and listen to the actual dialogue of the Supreme Court. I used the Tinker (student expression) and the Abington (Bible reading) cases in my School Law class. These cases enable students to listen to a primary source.

Great Value, Most Educational
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-11
Great buy. Excellent recording quality. Makes an excellent gift for any attorney or anyone else interested in learning about the workings of the US Supreme Court and its inner workings. Highly recommend.

Great resource for laymen interested in the Court
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-11
These recordings are a great resources for anyone intersted in the US supreme court. This is probably doubly true as the nomination and approval process is upon us again. The records reveal much that is lost in a purely written transcript, which is the source of one of my misgivings of the packaging -- the companion book is nothing more than a literal transcription of the tapes. The book could have provided more background, or in-depth analysis, or a copy of the constitution, or the full text of the opinions. Sadly, it provides none of these.

It is remarkable how the personal experiences of the various justices seem to color their opinions. Most interesting is when future Supremes appear before the court as attorneys.

Finally, I find it interesting that the quality of the arguments seems to be independent of the decisions of the courts -- some of the weakest orators yielded winning arguments.

Still, despite these misgivings, this provides a wonderful ear to the wall of the highest court in the land. Perhaps the best thing about these arguments is that they are completely accessible to the layman -- there is little legalisms, just big issues understandable by all, even if they are controversial.

Great for learning and teaching.
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-21
I teach a course at a local community college and use this book as my text. The book is relatively cheap, especially for college books, and very well written. It describes some of our most influential Supreme Court cases in the past half century. The style that it is written in is ideal for learning and keeping the reader interested.

First it gives a short one page synopsis of the case that sets out the basis facts. It then quotes the actual Supreme Court oral argument but edits the transcript to give it a more narrative style. The editting is great for explaining the background legal principle while setting out the facts to make the read more enjoyable. After the editted transcript of the oral argument, a short editted version of the Court's opinion is printed. This opinion is nicely editted so as to keep readers interested, unlike the full text of most of the cases that would scare lawyers away.

In summation, the book is organized very well and suitable for those wanting to learn about history, those wanting to learn legal principles, or even those just wanting a fun read.

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Micromotives and Macrobehavior
Published in Paperback by W. W. Norton (2006-10-16)
Author: Thomas C. Schelling
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Micromotives and Macrobehavior
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-09
This is one of the best books I have ever read. I have read it at least three times and learn something new each time. Schelling is not only a great economist but a great writer. He has a knack for making arcane concepts accessible. I highly recommend it. This book uses economic methodology to tackle "non-economic" concepts, such as segregation, sorting and mixing and cooperation.

On the importance and fun of economics
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-23
Micromotives and Macrobehavior shows what fun it must be to be an economist. More specifically, it shows what fun it must be to be Thomas Schelling. It's not a book of high theory; it is a book of high particularity. When Schelling walks down the street, I imagine him with a giant grin or, barring that, a notepad in his hand to take down his thoughts on whatever he might be looking at; every last bit of the world must fascinate him. The great fun in economics, to me, is not what it has to tell me about optimal investment strategies -- finance being only a small, if important, part of life -- but rather what it has to say about human behavior, and particularly human behavior in the face of other humans.

There are some basic problems of arithmetic that our desires might well create; Schelling very charmingly entitles a chapter on this subject "The Inescapable Mathematics of Musical Chairs." If we all want to live a solitary life in the country, we'll all move to the country and find ourselves surrounded by the people we were trying to escape. We can't all dispose of our Canadian quarters, says Schelling: you pawn off your quarters on me, I pawn them off on my neighbor, and yet still the total stock of quarters is exactly where it was. This accounting for musical chairs gives economics much of its power. It's what happens when you take your eyes off individuals for just a moment and think about their behavior in crowds.

What happens if no one in a university can stand being in the bottom 10% of his class? The bottom 10% will leave. Now 90% of the original class is left, and there's a new bunch in the bottom 10%. They leave. And so forth. Eventually, if this process continues, the class will whittle down to 10% of its original size. An unrealistic example, surely, but it's illustrative. The most famous model of this sort in Micromotives and Macrobehavior is the segregation model. Suppose few people wish to live in a racially homogeneous community; everyone desires some integration. But suppose people don't want to be too isolated: white people have no problem living with black people, so long as the white people aren't the minority in their neighborhoods. What will happen to the racial composition of neighborhoods? Schelling simulates a small city on a standard 8×8 cheesboard, with nickels and dimes representing white and black people. The board starts out in one equilibrium where everyone is satisfied with his neighbors and no one is too isolated. Then there's a minor shock to the system: a few people move away at random around the board. Suddenly black people have no neighbor on one side, and only white people on the other. What was a satisfying equilibrium before is now unsatisfying to at least one person on the board, so he moves to a neighborhood whose racial composition is more to his liking. This process continues until we've reached a new equilibrium. More often than not, this equilibrium involves massive segregation. No one desired that it be this way; people only wished that those near them looked somewhat like them.

A few questions naturally present themselves here. How many equilibria are there? How many stable equilibria are there? (Perfect integration was an equilibrium at the start of the experiment, but it was unstable in the face of mild shocks.) The convergence to segregation depends on how homogeneous people wish their neighborhoods to be; if everyone desires that 50% of his neighbors be like him, does that change anything? Also, do the conclusions change when we move from a small city modeled by an 8×8 board to a larger one?

One of the lessons has been well-rehearsed elsewhere (e.g., No One Makes You Shop At Wal-Mart): in many cases, the decisions that we make individually cannot be expected to result in outcomes that we all would have chosen had we coordinated. You don't even need to look at the level of an entire society; Schelling has plenty of examples from everyday life. Maybe the easiest is something that happened to him while driving back from Cape Cod: a mattress had fallen off the roof of someone's car and had snarled traffic for hours. If the driver of that car with the mattress could somehow have borne (in the jargon: "internalized") the costs that he inflicted on everyone else, he'd probably have stopped his car, fetched the mattress, and saved everyone a lot of lost time. Or if all the other drivers could have coordinated somehow, they might have been able to get that mattress off the road and save everyone behind them the time that they all lost. Absent any coordination, though, that mattress might still be laying there.

This coordination doesn't need to come in the form of an enforcer with guns, necessarily; social norms can do it. What if we've all been trained by our parents to feel great shame at not helping others? You can certainly imagine social structures in which people would fight others for the right to clear off that mattress. If it's hard to envision this, suppose that selflessness were actually sexy.

The direction you turn from here is asking how societies solve coordination problems -- how we encourage each other to behave in a way that helps out everyone. Micromotives and Macrobehavior is chiefly valuable in that it gets you thinking about these problems, and realizing that it's not especially easy: merely scaling up your own virtuous behavior won't necessarily cut it.

The big picture relevance of details
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-25
I enjoyed this book for it's stimulating arguments and everyday examples of big picture, "big topics" issues. As a novice to any type of economic analysis I've found the book informative and interesting. I recommend this book to anybody wishing to increase their awareness of the relevance of everyday events and experience to bigger, more intellectual topics.

1970s Freakonomics
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-23
Game theory has been criticized for being able to explain anything, yet having little predictive capability. Whatever the case, Thomas Schelling's book is a gem. He takes everyday life phenomena and applies some systematic analysis as to why these things happen. It's a quick read and when you are done you too will keep viewing any issues coming your way as if they were seeking an equilibrium. With the varied topics and colorful examples it's the 1970s equivalent of "Freakonomics".

The Golden Rule and Self-Restraint
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-23
Schelling's book covertly drafts a model of economic support for the Golden Rule. While many of his examples may be repetitive, ultimately, we learn that by restraining ourselves in various enterprises, such as energy conservation, we are able to produce overall benefits for society. However, the hitch is that without critical mass or some basis for keeping rebels in line, no one adheres to the collective system and therefore no one benefits. Thus, the author intelligently posits an argument that in properly regulated environments, cooperation and selflessness produce stability and will lead to long-term success.

What is more interesting are Schelling's numerous examples and asides about human behavior that, once examined carefully, yield a greater understanding about everyday phenomena. For example, he writes, "Most people think that inflation reduces purchasing power without stopping to notice that their own pay increases are somebody else's inflation, and at least some of it must cancel out." This book is filled with such astute and not easily apparent statements. He also carries economic theory into social theory, showing that if all men married women four years younger than them where population is growing at three percent annually, eventually women of marrying age may outnumber men by more than 12%. The book has several of these nuggets, but leaves out an obvious and one of my favorite lessons about education: when a student goes to school, s/he not only "loses" the money s/he spends on tuition, but also her/his earning power during the years spent studying. For this reason, one could argue that it seems more sensical to attend school when there is a recession and to work when unemployment is low.

The glaring gap in this book is the problem of freeloaders--what do we do, for example, about the neighbor who waters his lawn excessively during a water shortage, thereby creating less incentive for others to conserve water? The author most likely believes that education will assist this problem, but this may be an idealistic notion at best. Still, Schelling manages to prove that cooperation rather than competition in some cases may produce better results, leading to viable arguments against selfish behavior.

C
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom (Caldecott Honor Book)
Published in Hardcover by Jump At The Sun (2006-09-01)
Author: Carole Boston Weatherford
List price: $15.99
New price: $2.61
Used price: $2.59
Collectible price: $15.99

Average review score:

Do you think you have ENOUGH books about Harriet Tubman?
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-25
Well let me tell you you are wrong if you don't already have this book! This book is simply breathtaking. I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to get it! I've never heard a Harriet Tubman story told quite this way before. She prays to God and listens to His responses to lead her away from slavery that first fateful time. I actually felt like I was there...hiding...holding my breath. Will she make it? Of course we know the answer but the way the book s written is just amazing.

Now on the equally tantalizing images. Kadir Nelson lives up to his reputation here. Quality through and through with this project. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it.

Moses aka Harriet Tubman
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-18
Beautiful pictures, historically accurate account of Harriet Tubman in a personal way, told from her point of view. Excellent for thrid graders.

Inspirational
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-19
This book is truly inspirational. It shows what one person in God's hand can do to change the world around them. Harriet Tubman was truly a heroine. She was a humble person who was raised up to do a great and mighty thing. The illustrations are wonderfully drawn and the writing is almost poetic. This is a wonderful story for parents who are trying to teach their children about social justice, hearing the voice of God, and communing with Him. I highly recommend it!

Moses : When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-12
This is a very spiritual book. We have a copy for our home and gave one to the Godparents. It has a creative flair to it and lots of wisdom. It is a good guide to remembering to trust in God.

Harriet Tubman is Inspirational role model
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-10
This is a wonderful inspirational book I found for my grandchildren. You do not need to be of African heritage to appreciate the message that it was God that got her through her trying circumstances. Great history lesson too. Don't relegate it to Black History Month only.

C
Mr. Bean's Diary
Published in Paperback by Andrews Mcmeel Pub (1994-09)
Authors: Robin Driscoll and Rowan Atkinson
List price: $12.95
New price: $0.01
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

Wonderful!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-18
Great book, worth the price a hundred times. Great to read more exploits of Bean! Just like the TV show! Recomended! Some parts will laugh you to death such as:

Smashed bugs in the book

Police reports

Much much more!

Good
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-16
Funny, but I expected it to be like a book, and there were just some andom notes for every day.

Great
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-04
This book is hilarious and makes for simple, entertaining reading. It consists of a diary in which Mr. Bean records his various escapades (in his untidy scrawl) and keeps his letters and newspaper clippings. It contains quite a few references to the episodes themselves, and it's necessary to read it more than once to appreciate the full humour value. I recommend this book to all fans of Mr. Bean.

Hate the TV show? You still might like the book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2003-09-21
Even Mr. Bean's most enthusiastic fans will have to agree that he can be really gross sometimes. For those of us who wish we'd never seen him try to stop his ears with someone else's used chewing gum, he's a lot easier to take in print than on video, just as weird but much less nauseating. I think he's funnier, too. It's kind of like a radio play: What you fill in with your imagination can be funnier than what they show you.

Absolutely Hilarious
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2004-06-16
Mr Bean aka Rowan Atkinson is one of my favorite comedian. He manages to crack you up without resorting to low down slapstick humor. The book is a must-read for Mr Bean fans, and for those of you who have yet to see his TV shows (way better than the movie), I highly recommend this book. It is guaranteed to give me tummyaches from laughing too hard.

C
Mujer que sabe latín... ní encuentra marido, ní tiene buen fin: alta gerencia, sólo para mujeres
Published in Paperback by Encuadernacion Geminis S.A. DE C.V. (1998-09-18)
Author: Andrea Keller
List price: $14.00
New price: $14.00

Average review score:

LIBRO PARA ADMINISTRAR EL TIEMPO
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-14
LOS CONSEJOS ADMINISTRATIVOS DE ESTE LIBRO, LE VAN A ENCANTAR CUANDO LOS VEA CONVERTIDOS EN UN COCHE NUEVO, JOYAS ETC...

INTELIGENTE, SEDUCTOR...
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-05
UN LIBRO UNICO... que conjunta la sabiduria femenina en las empresas con una alta inteligencia y un sentido del humor finisimo !

¡ encantador !
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-07
YO tengo un negocio son cinco empleados, y el libro Keller ha sido una gran parte de mi exito

Yes, it's a very useful book. Really. But
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2003-05-06
let me tell you it's also THE MOST ENCHANTING AND FUNNY BOOK I'VE EVER READ !
Incredibly well written and with a refined aristocratic sense of humor

UNA AUTÉNTICA "BIBLIA " PARA
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-06-16
CUALQUIER EMPRESARIO...
Y QUE ADEMAS DE SER SABIA, ES SUPER LIGERA Y DIVERTIDÍSIMA !


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