Services Books

This is must reading for the serious marketing strategist. It's a prescient look at how companies will have to interact with customers in order to break through communication clutter and sustain growth. I plan to use it as a regular reference for strategic planning. The section on customer care is an important addition to the current thinking about marketing communications. I like that it lays out a disciplined process for creating, implementing and measuring effective programs that provide lasting value, not just tactical applications. The last chapter of checklists alone is worth the price of the book.

There are things in this book that you can't get elsewhere...at least I've never been able to find them. At our company, we've tried for years to successfully integrate our direct marketing and sales teams. We also want to lengthen the lifetime of our customers. The authors have been doing this for years and it shows in their case studies. If you can learn what's in this book and pull it off in your organization, you'll join the less than 2% minority of companies who have achieved this level of marketing excellence.

Good to see individuals in the marketing/advertising field who truly understand the complexity of people and organizations. Consistent with the most up-to-date approaches in the field of psychology (specifically psychotherapy research), the authors of this new book are quite persuasive in showing readers the enormous value in tailoring marketing approaches to the individual needs of different organizations. Moreover, they use statistics in a quite user-friendly way and they also offer a great and quite readable variety of case material to support their views. An engaging, persuasive, and innovative look at contemporary marketing. Well worth a look; you'll find yourself hooked.

Roman nails it. He preaches the golden rule - as applied to marketing. He shows how to use permission and precision timing to win at marketing. Even better, while he has a fortune 500 client list, the strategies he recommends are not just for the big guys. In fact they are easier for small companies or even individual salesman to use.

There are 3 keys to your success: Execution, Execution, Execution. Roman and Hornstein deliver - with precision - on the who, what, where, when and how of each. A must read. John Wanamaker would give it 'two thumbs up'

I've been doing Oracle database-related application design and development since before Java even existed. As time progressed, Java became more and more prevalent in the Enterprise environment, web servers became application servers, and before you knew it, Java was being run right in the database.

It has always been difficult and confusing to figure out the various Java technologies and tools and implementations when it comes to a complete Enterprise system... until now.

Kuassi does a remarkable job of providing keen and detailed insight into all aspects of Java in the Oracle Database realm.

A nice, logical technical progression as well as very detailed code samples make this book useful for those wishing to introduce themselves to the basic concepts, or write a specific implementation.

The detailed case studies that show real code used in real world solutions are invaluable. (We've already implemented one of them for a new project we're starting on!)

All in all, it's an excellent book and should be on the shelf of any DBA/Developer that has anything to do with Java in their environment.

This book has a good deal of information that is accessible. However, several coding examples are incomplete and in some cases misleading. Given the strengths of the book, they are probably oversights or space limitations. The missing code segments are too frequently in the wrong places.

The code examples predominate the book. Hidden gems are nested where readers only find them searching out topics. On a bright note, the index is good at locating what is in the book.

If you use Java and/or Oracle (Or if only you've planned to), this is THE book you miss ! Complete and easy to read, every concept comes with samples and scripts. Full of informations that I didn't find anywhere else, I've learned a lot. When it talks about something I already knows, it does it so well : "There is probably no better ways to explain things".

I've been programming in C++, Corba and Java for years and was looking for a book to develop agaisnt the Oracle database. First of all this book is well written and at a glance, it covers all the API and utilities that a Java developer may use to exploit the Oracle database including Java in the database, JDBC, SQLJ, JPublisher and Database Web services ( Corba folks like myself will love the Web services part). You will be amazed reading through this book all the possibilities that Java in the database allows ; the Groovy and Jython stored procedures are just well presented. I am right now digging into Part-II dedicated to JDBC, the Rowset API, RAC support, etc. This book will provide great career advancement opportunities. I strongly recommend this book to my Java developers fellows.

I have been working on different projects building enterprise level software involving many J2EE and Database technologies. One of the major frustration facing developers is how "practical information" related to these two worlds are completely isolated from one another, in fact, it is very common to see the majority of today's developers specializing in one of them and completely ignoring the other. The few who actually can keep following up with both can understand and achieve a lot more.
I found the information in this book to be complete; it describes the notions, the architectures (even those details that are hard to find anywhere) and it gives detailed examples on how it will look like in the code which cuts learning time for engineers a lot.

One of my all-time favorites from childhood, and I was pleasantly surprised to find it holds up just as well on a re-read as an adult. Maybe better; I didn't get all the humor and wit at age ten!

The lone average child in an extremely eccentric family, Jack feels left out and begins a campaign to be special too.

Highly recommended!

If P.G. Wodehouse had been writing novels for young readers during the last quarter of the 20th century, he might have come up with something like "Ordinary Jack," the first in Helen Cresswell's series The Bagthorpe Saga. Jack, a hopelessly conventional and normal boy stuck in the middle of the madcap, eccentric Bagthorpe family, known for their prodigious achievements, wonders how he can ever get himself noticed. Uncle Parker, not so brilliant himself, sympathizes and comes up with a plan: Jack will become a prophet and go in for such mystical pursuits as visions, water divining, crystal-ball gazing and Tarot-card reading. Of course, all sorts of complications and much hilarity ensue. This very funny book and its six sequels can be found in British paperback editions and ordered from Amazon.co.uk.

This book is usually billed as a children's book. I'm pretty
sure that's the reason it's out of print. It's an *excellent*
book, one of the best I have ever read. The characters come
vividly alive, driving the storyline. The plot is deeply
involved, yet easy enough to follow. The prose is crisp and
colorful and draws the reader into the story.

The only problem is, the vocabulary is a little more advanced
than a lot of children these days can comfortably handle. If
the book were marketed for adults, it would be a bigger hit.

This is not to say that children cannot read this book. They
can, if they're avid readers with a good grasp on vocabulary.
I could have read it by sixth grade or so -- about the same
time I was ready to read Dickens and Shakespeare. I didn't
happen to run into it until somewhat later, however, and I can
confirm that it's a great book for adults.

This book will exceed your expectations and capture your
imagination. You'll read it in notime flat, because you won't
put it down for mundane things like meals.

The second book, Absolute Zero, is just as good. The others
in the series are also not bad, though the first two are easily
the best. This is the one to get first.

It's been a long time since I read a children's book that really knocked my socks off. I had heard in various children's book circles about the mysterious Bagthorpe saga. A series of stories in which a single ordinary boy must learn to live with his genius/insane family. What I had heard, however, was not exactly conclusive. For all I knew, these books could be good or they could be overrated justly forgotten tripe of the lowest order. Out of the merest curiosity (and because I could locate a copy in my library) I found an original 1977 edition of the book, complete with illustrator Trina Schart Hyman's fabulous cover in which every single Bagthorpe member is rendered in the flesh. What I discovered will now eat up hours and hours of my spare time as I systematically track down each and every Bagthorpe edition in the series available to me. This is an amazing children's experience that must be read to be believed.

Jack is just your average kid. In any other family, this would be a good thing. In Jack's family, it's just short of catastrophe. For you see, in the clan of the Bagthorpes, everyone's a genius. Jack's brother William has a ham radio, plays darts, enjoys the bongos, and often goes about searching for new exciting talents to add to his bag of tricks (or, as they say, strings to their bows). Rosie, Jack's younger sister, is an accomplished portrait painter and recently beat Jack at swimming. Living in such a conceited family might push anyone over the edge, but fortunately Jack has one person he can count on. His Uncle Parker married into the family and, though extraordinary in his own ways, he's just as normal as his nephew. Together, the two plan to make Jack into the kind of guy his siblings see as an equal. They're going to make him into a prophet. This may mean they'll have to employ dowsing rods, crystal balls, purple suits, bear costumes, and tarot cards, but in the end it'll all be worth it.

So many in-jokes, clever puns, and smart plot twists pop up in this book that you'll wonder how long these characters were wandering around author Helen Cresswell's head before she committed them to paper. Adults reading this book will recognize characters they've met in real life while children will read about them and find themselves wishing they belonged to families just this crazy. There's more than a little "Cheaper By the Dozen" in this book, except that each character you meet in "Ordinary Jack" comes with their own very particular personality. I can even pinpoint the moment I feel head over heels in love with the book. After a particularly disastrous birthday celebration that ends in the dining room catching on fire, Uncle Parker laments that, for him, the real loss of the evening was that he won't be able to get the little mottos out of the crackers now. Americans, unfamiliar with crackers, may need a bit of explanation about this Britishism. Those who know what they are, however, will be delighted by Uncle Parker's assertion that he collects them so that at parties he can "stop conversation dead" with one.

Will kids like the book? They won't be able to help but do so. Jack is completely sympathetic, dealing with his crazy relations by becoming even crazier than they are. I loved his self-esteem talks to his dog Zero and how the women in the family suddenly start to get involved in Yoga for no particular reason. Reading this book, you'll forget it was originally published in 1977, so contemporary are some of the terms and fads. You can only assume that had no-carb diets been around in the late 70s, the Bagthorpes would've been involved in those as well.

There are hundreds of children's books that center on crazy families. Heck, Polly Horvath's practically made her living off of the genre. But the best of all these, by far, is Helen Cresswell's really breathtaking Bagthorpe books. "Ordinary Jack" is one of the best children's books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. A brilliant book for any kid with a sense of humor and a yen for the bizarre.

How COULD they have stop printing these books? I have loved the Bagthorpes since I first got Ordinary Jack as a kid and wanted to get the Bagthorpe series for my niece and friends who are having children. Even though I was labeled "gifted" as a child, Jack is readily identifiable and the books are written with such a gentle humor that they are well worth fighting for.

Really, are we supposed to let "Sweet Valley High" set the tone for our pre-adolescents?

I am a paralegal student, and the guide that Chere has written is VERY helpful! I feel that I'll hit the ground running when I complete my certificate, and will have an "edge" that my fellow students won't have (unless they read this book). In particular, I love the interviews with real-life paralegals. I've only read half of this book, but it really is a winner!

This is a fantastic book for entry-level and experienced paralegals alike. It helps get you through some tough situations. Chere Estrin is a pro and well-known for sound advice and this book is full of excellent ideas and suggestions. I highly recommend it!

If you've ever had those middle of the night terrors wondering if you've made a mistake by choosing a paralegal career, you should pick up a copy of the Paralegal Career Guide. This book packs a lot of information about career pathways for paralegals.

Written clearly, this book is chock full of information covering trends, career options, how to create value, salary negotiations, tips on getting along with co-workers, and other career resources. There is practical advice on topics such as job sharing to deciding whether or not to temp. The chapter I'm now focusing on - "Paralegal Careers in the New Millennium" - provides more far more career options for paralegals than anything I've ever seen. One comes away from the book with a sense of what's possible with a paralegal background.

Ms. Estrin has provided a list of valuable resources at the end of the book. It includes staffing agencies, online resources, relevant books and periodicals and even a "Systems, Services, and Software Guide." After reading this book, I would issue this label: Caution: Reading this book will make you giddy with optimism.

I loved this book. The author obviously knows her subject. Any paralegal will find it invaluable in charting the course of his or her carrer. This is real insider stuff so if you want to know how others have made a go of a tough career, pick this book up.

Chere Estrin really knows this field! Here is an insightful, powerfully written book that gives solid advice to experienced and entry-level paralegals. I found the book to be direct, helpful and very funny! I actually laughed out loud in parts. The book spells out how to succeed in this field. It captures the nuances you need to know. It has checklists and creative forms that will help you on the job. It even has very interesting profiles of other paralegals. Chere Estrin can help you get ahead in your career. I highly recommend this book to everyone!

I thought Peggy Lou's book was great!! I have a son with down syndrome and autism and this book gave me so much information. Peggy Lou gave me encouragement about getting out in the world and not to be afraid to help my son make a difference in our community.I home school my son so getting out is good for both of us! She has great ideas all the way through her book about doctor visits, school meetings, going out in public, strategies that helped her with caregivers and the list goes on. She seems to be a wonderful mother and advocate!!!

Here's a powerful, different system for gathering information about a child and planning for daily life: Morgan is both the parent of a complex child and a professional working with special-needs clients, so her dual expertise lends to a book which covers working more effectively with doctors, caregivers, and others. Create a life that supports both child and the entire family using the tips in Parenting Your Complex Child.

I am a friend of Peggy Lou Morgan and Larry her husband. I have worshiped with her in church and my wife, Dorothy, and I have been guests in their home. A more lengthy review will be posted on Peggy's blogsite. This is a painful and personal account of her struggles to lovingly care for a human being others woould think unlovable. Her persistent struggle with herself and the world of professionals is carefully documented. This book should be required reading by the professionals whose lives touch the world of the "Billy Rays" and their caregivers. Her journey reminded me of the observation made by Professor Stanley Hauerwas of Duke University. He wrote of his worship experience with "retarded" people, people with Downs syndrome and the like. What he wrote stuck with me. He wrote that they have more to teach us about ourselves than themselves. What we truly are comes to the surface as we try to relate to them as Christ taught us. In essence it is this: To love another as Christ loved us is so difficult that we are made to realize that we must have the Lord's Spirit in us to even come close to being a loving person. The "Billy Rays" of the world, and other difficult persons, may be used by the Lord to test us. Only such encounters with "the fourth kind" (?) will we know if we pass the test of love.

This book is so practical, with great insights from personal experience, written intelligently and with compassion, and contains excellent suggestions and insights, not only for parents, and relatives of special needs children, but for professionals. This should be in the library of both the parents who have such children, and the professionals who work with them.

This book not only presents a real world solution of advocacy for parenting; but also for professionals, relatives, and others who really need to know the right questions to ask before forming opinions.

I liked this book and it really had alot of cute hair styles. But it only had pictures, no written instructions. You can't see every picture clearly. Therefore you may miss a step or two.

my wife is very happy with this book. a lot of high quality pictures, the procedures are clearly explained using text and images.i highly recommend this product.

Wonderful photo's and detailed directions on how-to duplicate styles within this book!

Gave me great inspiration in designing my own variations by seeing the techniques used within this book.

The pictures for each step are very detailed and each hairstyle is very unique. My only problem was that there was very limited written instruction to go with each picture step. Other then that, a great book.

What an awesome book! There are large pictures and very easy to use. It gives a lot of ideas to improvise. Definite treasure to have. Will highly recommend. Every beauty shop should have one! Even though I'm giving 5 stars, wish there was more then 15 styles and less priced.

Great tool. We need more tools like this in the field. If you haven't tried it , do. If you're like me, you won't feel it was waste of money and you'll want to get your buddies to buy one as well.

Wow, what more could I say about this product. During all the stressful times during our day, its nice to have such a quick and easy product to use. I highly recommend this product to anyone in the medical field!

This is an excellent tool for all emergency personnel. It provides quick, accurate information when time counts. A must for all trauma kits.

As a member of the EMS discipline for 15 years I had always been on the look out for a tool to assist me in the stressful situation when dealing with pedi's and small children. Every tool I'd use was to complicated or did not display the full range of information needed during the typical medical aid call. The Pedi Wheel solves all those facets. Any dealings with a pedi or small child is covered. I highly recommend the pedi wheel.

I only wish the Pedi-Wheel First Responder was available 25 years ago. I have found this device to be a most valuable tool in pediatric emergencies. All first responders and Dispatch centers should incorporate the Pedi-Wheel First Responder in their everyday work life! I recommend that First Responder training classes make this a part of the curriculum.

Any textbook that can incorporate sayings like "There's more sex on the Web than flies on a cowpie" (p. 287). Is a book written by authors who love what they do. This was by far the most "fun" textbook I've read, and easy to teach from.

I would recommend this seller. My purchase was delivered fast and as guaranteed.

Item was in great condition and very fast shipment. No problems. Would definately buy from again.

As an undergrad, this was a great book to read. It's written in a conversational style, yet it is still detailed and comprehensive in research, meta-analyses, and examples. The authors also have a sense of humor...which is nice and used sparingly, yet makes it even more enjoyable to read.

It also has an chapter on ethics which some textbooks seem to disregard. There are also real-life situation info-boxes where people can learn and apply what they learn to purchasing new cars, making more tips, and how to ward off telemarketers.

I'm writing this just at the end of the 2006 elections. I can't imagine how many millions were spent trying to persuade me that this candidate or that question on the ballot should be my choice. I'm astounded at how many phone calls I've received from Laura Bush, or that candidate who just wants to set the record straight about the lies her opponnent has been telling about her. And then there are the outright lies. The people for Question 4 tell us that this will eliminate smoking in public places and we should vote for 4 but not for 5. Question 4 relaxes some of the current laws, Question 5 strongly limits smoking nearly everywhere but casinos and brothels. Oh, and did I tell you about this fellow in Nigeria with the huge amount of money that's tied up in his country and if I will just pay some transfer fees....

This book looks at all aspects of persuasion from a scientific point of view. It's useful from two directions, how to be more persuasive, and how to resist persuasion. Most important, it's how to understand what's happening in out world.

I like this text book..It is a great introductory book, very clear explanations, good references...It helped me a lot for my dissertation

A great deal of the information that you will need to get your feet wet in the field of Nuclear Medicine physics is contained in this book. I have used it to teach medical residents and it follows the board exam material pretty faithfully. Well written.

Sorenson and Phelps have compiled all of the relative and essential physics of nuclear medicine in such a way that is easy to understand. This text also contained graphs that illustrated points and made them much clearer. The pictures of hardware, although somewhat outdated, also were helpful in the learning process. This is an excellent text for any course of study related to nuclear medicine.

Simon Cherry has recently updated this venerated classic textbook originally written by Michael Phelps and Jim Sorenson. The revised and expanded book makes a timely contribution to modern imaging. I just used this book as a supplement to a graduate course at San Diego State University on "Physics of Imaging". It is clear, thorough and very well written. Steven Goetsch, Ph.D.

"Sorenson and Phelps" is now "Cherry, Sorenson and Phelps." It is still the standard text for nuclear medicine physics, covering the topics well for the radiology resident, nuclear medicine resident or fellow, or a beginning medical physicist. While clearly (in my opinion) the best text in its field, I would suggest that the authors give future consideration for a companion CD ROM (as in many new texts) that helps the reader understand some of the more complex topics, and that they give more treatment to quantiative PET scanning (including a "cookbook" on Patlak analysis using either arterial sampling or modified for venous sampling with left ventricular or aortic region of interest measurement with PET/CT). Sadly, little PET/CT information is available, perhaps the "hottest" topic in nuclear medicine.

All in all, though, it is still the standard text in the field. I am glad to see (and own) the latest edition, and highly recommend it for purchase.

This book is wonderful!! It tells the story of Mr. Lou and his jorney from South Carolina sharecropper to owner of the Challengers Club in South Central Los Angeles. I am a teacher in Baton Rouge and this books makes me want to do more in my job. I think anyone who wants to know how to help kids should invest 5 hours of their life and read this book.
It shows that alll you need is dedication, love and patience, and you can make a difference in any childs life. I signed up to volunteer to be a mentor because of this book.

It was my privilege to recently read the autobiography of Lou Dantzler, founder of the Boys & Girls Challengers club in South Central. This book is called "A Place to Go, A Place to Grow."

This is seriously one of the most motivational, inspiring and important stories I have read in several years. This is a story you need to read, and a man you need to know about.

Lou was born and raised a sharecropper's son, in the time before the Civil Rights Movement and the Sexual Revolution. When his father passed away he was expected to run the family business and help provide and care for a large family. His mentor at this time was a soldier who escaped the cyclical poverty of the sharecropper life, only to gain respect for his achievements in the military where work was rewarded according to merit. This guidance was just the beginning of Lou realizing that what a child needs is discipline and inspiration; that there is more to life when you respect yourself and all you have to offer the world.

When Lou moved to LA he worked several odd jobs as he helped support and raise his own family, and was saddened by how many children in his neighborhood would spend their time out in the streets with nothing productive to do. He decided to truck a group of boys to the park to play, many of whom were afraid to do so unchaperoned, because of the dangers of gangs and drugs. Lou and the boys had so much fun that this small gathering eventually lead to converting an abandoned VONS shopping center into what is now an amazing facility that provides job training, dental care and a full basketball court!

What I love about this true story is that is shows the love and dedication of just one man can truly change the world. Lou never lost hope and just kept on trucking, literally, and it payed off big time! He helped inspire several generations of youth growing up in South Central to aspire to greatness in self respect, education and family.

Recently Lou passed away, but his legacy truly does still live on! I think you will love this book. It is not only a time capsule about the turbulent 20th century, but it is also very vital to our contemporary issues with poverty and street violence here in LA and what we can do as a community to turn the tide.

[...]

Remember a portion of the profit made on the sale of this book goes back to Challengers!

*I hear they are always looking for donations and volunteers! :)

I have heard about this book for four years, because Kathleen Felesina, the co-author, and her sister Laura Peterson, who plays a prominent role in Lou Dantzler's story, are longtime family friends, daughters of longtime family friends. The Peterson/Felesina families should be very proud, as, I'm sure, Lou Dantzler's beloved mom Narvis would be of him.

Lou Dantzler is "a marvelous man," a true American hero who doesn't grandstand and for much of the book thinks of himself as just a sharecropper's son, which is like saying that George Washington Carver was just a gardener. In a time when Bill and Melinda Gates are crusading to overhaul the school system and Bill Cosby is raising a furor over African-American children's futures, this book needs to be promoted and shouted from the rooftops, as does Lou Dantzler's work--which thankfully President Bush Senior did in the wake of the 1992 riots when, like Laura Peterson's USC, Lou Dantzler's Challengers Club wasn't touched by gang violence. The story of this club and its remarkable, brave founder is a must-read for every educator, parent, youth leader, pastor/rabbi--in short, everyone who cares about at-risk kids. Adults can share this book with kids too! Kudos to Lou Dantzler, and to Kathleen Felesina for this uplifting, motivating book.

This book shares the essential characteristics that a youth development professional must possess in order to make an impact on the lives of today's youth. The dedication, commitment, yet the simplicity of the concepts behind empowering and motivating today's youth to reach beyond the physical surrounding is embraced in this journey from the cotton fields of South Carolina to the urban inner city of Los Angeles. The determination to achieve by holding a community up to a standard of commitment to its youth is demonstrated in this epic story that shares how hard work with compassion along with sheer determination can change a community initially through its youth, then it parents, and bring forth the common good from mankind from all walks of life to help in changing a community. Anyone working in the youth development field would be inspired by this book as well as educated on simply methods to achieve change through parent engagement, establishing clear enforceable standards, and holding everyone accountable.

Anyone who has devoted their life to one cause or another will find inspiration from Lou's first hand account of how he started Challengers Boys and Girls Club. Each page is filled with pieces of wisdom and advice he gained from people who understood his mission and wanted to help. You get a total understanding to how the club grew from a few dozen kids and trips to the park into a beautiful, sprawling oasis in the middle of South Los Angeles. Lou's gentle nature and natural curiosity are also evident throughout the book, as he describes in great detail how strangers latched onto his desire to help children and chipped in with advice, money, and perhaps most importantly, support. Now, 38 years later, the reader will become so entranced by what they read, they to will want to lend a hand. As the expression goes, Only Time Will Tell and Lou's time at Challengers has told at least 30,000 kids that his committment and conistency to their well being is paying off in dividends.