Plans Books

This tells you how to design a house for you. Not just a house out of a book, but one that takes your living patterns into account. Don't want a formal living room? Don't put one in! Also reminds you if you want to live in the house a long time, to make room for handicapped access that may be needed later. Design your kitchen and baths the way you live! Have fun! ;-)

This is the first book I've found that actually addresses living patterns in home design. The book describes the fact that people can be uncomfortable sitting in a huge living space and actually crave the need for smaller spaces like alcoves. Social behaviours and traffic patterns while entertaining are studied and factually explains what makes a room feel comfortable or homey. With traffic patterns and accessibility as the basis for the design half of the book, Clark provides a solid foundation for design fundementals and the why behind it.

The second half of the book covers home building. A s a complete novice in this area, I can't vouch for the accuracy of the information, but it does seem quite comprehensive in its description, demystifying the building process, and empowering owners to monitor their contractors with an informed eye, while giving insight to the bigger picture and mindset of contractors. I think this understanding will help communication between owners and contractors and make homebuilding a smoother process. Of particular interest, I found the load calculations for foundations fascinating as it wasn't something I had ever considered in home building as it is something the architecht waves his magic pencil to produce.

The book is written in a familiar tone the layperson will relate and understand, and while it doesn't shirk the industry jargon, explainations are forthcoming, making it easy to understand and simple to follow.

I've read quite a few books on home building and have done extensive research on the internet. This book covers design priciples and the why not found elsewhere. I highly recommend this book as the foundation to anyone planning and building their own home.

Sam Clark uses up half the book before he gets into the nitty-gritty of construction methods. This really IS a book about house DESIGN as well as construction. As such, it's an EXCELLENT book for someone who's starting from scratch to create their own house. The approach is extremely methodical, treating mindsets and goals as elements of the design process equal in importance to elevation drawings.

The illustrations bear particular attention. The (black and white) photographs are well composed, and have high contrast to clearly delineate the features that are supposed to be of interest. The line drawings are rather funky looking (in part because Clark appears not to own a ruler), but nevertheless do a very good job of illustrating what the text is talking about. This is the case for three reasons: (1) they were created by the author, who knew EXACTLY what part of the text needed visual aids; (2) their rulerless nature means that Clark can emphasize particular features rather than focus on strict scale drawings; and (3) each one is sized independently to take up as much space as is required to depict the subject matter, without worrying about "wasting" some page area. The end result is that the text and illustrations fit together well to make a unified whole.

For more detail on the Building part of creating a house, I'd recommend "Do-It-Yourself HOUSEBUILDING" by George Nash. But because Nash's book doesn't come close to Clark's for clarity, I'd first read Clark's book cover-to-cover. Then I'd keep Sam Clark's book open to the same subject area so that you can step back and get a clear overview as you get confused in the details of the Nash book.

I have been researching owner building for almost a year now and this is the first and only book I've found that both had all the information I needed, and presented it in a way that a layman could understand. Five thumbs up.

For the owner-builder looking to educate her/himself, sifting thru the oceans of books to read is tough. This one is definitely worth the time. Clark takes a no-nonsense, unpretentious approach. The text is easy to read and in plain language that lay people can understand. Focuses mostly on conventional stick-building, but there are lots of great ideas (in the "doing it yourself on a budget" theme) that apply to any building style.

Transformational change is what it's all about today. If you can do it quickly, and still do it right, then go for it! This book will help you get moving in the right direction.

This is an outstanding and relatively simple approach to transforming and organization - from a small company to large. The section of analysis of business processes is a little 'thin' and if combined with the 7FE Project Framework of Jeston & Nelis (Business Process Management: Practical Guidelines to Successful Implementions) it would be more complete.
A highly recommended read.

This book's utility comes from its specificity. Managing major change is very difficult, but Behnam N. Tabrizi spells out exactly what your organization should do over three 30-day stages of the process. He provides numbered lists, flow charts, diagrams and examples to illustrate his model. The 90-day (plus time before and after) model itself is exciting and demanding, though some elements of the book are stronger than others. Tabrizi's insistence on preparation before a change and his call for sharp execution during implementation is firmly grounded in realism. getAbstract recommends Tabrizi's visionary book to anyone who is guiding or involved in major organizational change. Beware, however, that the very ease of reading and the clarity of the model may gloss over some of the challenges of change. Sometimes, identifying where an industry is going or what the best response to larger trends might be isn't as easy as Tabrizi makes it sound. Likewise, getting people to commit to working double jobs for the three months this model demands may be difficult...but quite worthwhile.

With regard to this book's title and to the model that Behnam N. Tabrizi proposes in this volume, it is important to note at the outset that he does not believe that organizational transformation can be completed in only three months. What he offers is a framework with which to formulate a program that, once implemented, may require 6-12 additional months (or more) to achieve the desired objectives. The proposed model has these characteristics: all-encompassing (i.e. "all aspects of the company, looking under all the rocks and leaving no stones unturned"), integrative (i.e. "various functions and processes within the organization" are synchronized), fast (i.e. "fully engaged in all [its] efforts in parallel, looking at everything at once" expeditiously), and have full, passionate commitment and buy-in, "especially at the top layers of the organization."

Tabrizi rigorously examines six companies that have used the 90 days model: 3M, VeriSign, Nissan, Bay Networks, Apple, and ACI. All of them proceeded through a multi-phase process. Here's the timetable:

Pretransformation (30-90 days)

Phase 1: Diagnosis (30 days)
Phase 2: Envisioning the future (30 days)
Phase 3: Paving the road (30 days)

Transformation implementation (6-12 months)

Of course, these are general guidelines and the timetable will vary among organizations that commit themselves to transformation initiatives and progress of such initiatives will also vary, once formulated and then implemented. Barriers are inevitable and some will probably be the result of what James O'Toole has so aptly characterized as "the ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom." He correctly points out that "today's executives believe they are struggling with an unprecedented leadership challenge to create internal strategic unity within a chaotic external environment." This challenge is exacerbated by the fact that so many companies are now competing in what Thomas Friedman has described as a "flat world."

Of special interest to me is what Tabrizi has to say about envisioning the future during the second phase, in Chapter 5. "Now, it is time for the teams to shift their focus and start looking at solutions for [the problems previously identified]. Over the next thirty days, with [various] pain points in mind, the teams will work on identifying various alternatives for treatment and remedy" by following this sequence: cascading goals > creating a set of metrics > rationalization of key areas > developing a set of "big ideas" > gap analysis > ongoing organizational excellence > get an early start on implementation [i.e. "picking low-hanging fruit" > Day 60 integration meeting > tiger teams. Tabrizi carefully explains what each of the steps in this sequence involves, and, correlates the importance of each to the other steps that precede and follow it. Along the way, he cites real-world examples from companies that include Hewlett-Packard, Apple, Nissan, VeriSign, Telefónica de España, Bay Networks, and The Home Depot. By the completion of Phase 2, teams will have "rationalized and streamlined their portfolio of products and services and used gap analysis of revenue projections...[and will have] developed their big ideas, which were recommendations shared with the EMT [i.e. executive management team] at the day 60 integration meeting. In some cases, new rapid response teams, called tiger teams, need to be created to address areas that have been previously ignored or overlooked."

Throughout the balance of his narrative, Tabrizi explains how to build on accomplishments achieved through the second phase so that those involved are well-prepared to meet the challenges that await them when they begin the 6-12 month process of full implementation. The model he proposes is not for every organization, as he duly acknowledges. Moreover, those organizations that that select it when planning and then implementing transformation initiatives must be sufficiently agile and flexible to make whatever modifications of the model may be necessary.

"However, it is only a matter of time before change is required again. The question then is, How do I continue to change before I have to? The beauty of the 90 days model is that it spins out an army of change agents with informal networks and experience working across numerous boundaries, and who have internalized change and the change process." Tabrizi then goes on to point out that, by creating an organization of change leaders that think outside the box, "the company will be better prepared to change in the future, fir employees will be less resistant and more experienced...Instead of being something to be feared, change becomes something that is empowering. Change promotes growth. And that is the ultimate power of transformation."

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out James O'Toole's Leading Change: The Argument for Values-Based Leadership, Corporate Agility: A Revolutionary Model for Competing in a Flat World co-authored by Charles E. Grantham, James P. Ware, and Cory Williamson, Kevan Hall's Speed Lead: Faster, Simpler Ways to Manage People, Projects and Teams in Complex Companies, Dean R. Spitzer's Transforming Performance Measurement: Rethinking the Way We Measure and Drive Organizational Success, and Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution co-authored by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David Robertson.

Outstanding book. A must read for all the executives of corporations. The author clearly defines three phases of transformation planning process and how to develop the plan, in detail. In addition, he goes through two phases of preplanning and the implementation process. I found his numerous examples of the successful and unsuccessful transformations, in different corporations, extremely useful. It is like years of lessons learned presented in one book. As an experienced professional, who has lead planning and implementation efforts for very complex Aerospace programs which required sense of urgency, found the authors provided models and tools very useful, logical and practical.

A good read. The concepts are simple to understand and execute... and make sense. The Blue Train concept is common sense for today's complex business world.

It is clear from reading this book that Surinder and Bart have lived this leadership approach. Many authors write theoretical books with little practical experience. They have walked the talk. This book is an excellent guide to values based leadership. It is about leadership, innovation, and strong values. I strongly recommend it.

Riding The Blue Train not only inspired me professionally, but personally as well. It has changed my point of view on the kind of person/employee I strive to be and the type of company/individual leader I envision working for. Kumar and Sayle discuss the Breakthrough Journey, which is a road I highly desire to travel on. "Breakthrough leadership is a product of bold vision, intense focus, and hard work. There are few 'born leaders' in the world from a Breakthrough perspective, but it is a skill one can learn and nurture." This book illustrates how you can accomplish this skill to become a great leader by Riding The Blue Train. I have given this book to many people as a gift, including the management team at my office who are also now Riding the Blue Train! My company now sees our success in the corporate world from a new, energizing perspective.

How many Corporations, Government Branches, and/or Educational systems really understand in how to build a business, or instill justice, or educate our youth? This book advises you must first build the people to be the best they possible can be. This book was inspiring to the degree as a manual in "How to Succeed."It should be required reading in all H.S. and colleges throughout the nation. Lets instill in our people the 5 powers of Insight, Inspiration, Intentionality, Intentional language, and Congruence to establish bold visions as so stated by the authors.As a practitioner in the field of holistic medicine, someone once said future medicine shall prescribe no drugs,thus the wholistic aproach on life.Maybe the Breakthrough Journey (the core message) will bring us into a more positive and healthy relationship with the rest of the world and the future.A unique approach in motivating and stimulating the people. Thumbs up on this book!

I found the book a powerful read and filled with valuable real-life stories of successful leadership using breakthrough strategies. As far as I am concerned it has arrived full steam on platform 1 for books on leadership. It puts the Positive firmly back into Growth and People into Factor. This book is an essential read for all leaders who aspire to drive innovation and transformation through motivating individuals, teams and entire organisations. On top of all the new insights I have gained, I now know how to deal with any complainers: I just ask them: "What do you intend to do about it?"

I'll say right up front I HATE meetings more than Dilbert. But I have to organize lots of them for my job. Sometimes involving people in different offices or across the state. Some of this book is just common sense - I've already tried some of the strategies on my boss with suggesting teleconferences or just dealing with it by email. But sometimes it's still not enough and he makes me go ahead with the meeting. And that's where this book really came in handy - learning how to set the ground rules, learning how to end them to reach consensus - and how to evaluate the meeting. All of the small details that don't really get thought about much.

Shri Henkel has done an outstanding job on this book. It is interesting and fun to read and will be interesting and fun to execute her wonderful ideas. Invaluable to the successful business person!

Shri Henkel's SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS: HOW TO PLAN, PREPARE, AND EXECUTE TOP-NOTCH BUSINESS MEETINGS provides an easy to read book on the entire planning process, from budgeting and using time and money more effectively to setting an agenda, meeting goals, and evaluating both participants and objectives. Chapters will keep business leaders on track as they outline proven, effective methods for starting and conducting a meeting and survey common pitfalls to success.

Meetings have to rank as one of the most loathed activities in modern corporate life. While the idea of coming together as a group to collectively solve problems or brainstorm new ideas sounds good, poor planning and management too often leads to fuzzy, disorganized sessions in stuffy conference rooms. In surveys, 90% of respondents admit to daydreaming during meetings, almost 75% say they have sometimes brought other work, and 9% say they have fallen asleep.

Shri Henkel believes she knows how to change all that. Her book, Successful Meetings: How to Plan, Prepare and Execute Top-Notch Business Meetings, is a great step-by-step guide running meetings that produce results. Rather than begin from the premise that all meetings are necessary, Henkel starts out by suggesting that the reader ask themselves a very basic question: is this meeting really necessary? Could these issues be tackled in a different way? She even suggests costing the meeting out, so the reader can see how much money a meeting will consume in staff salary, equipment costs, and of course, snacks.

Once you've determined that a meeting is necessary, Henkel has a wide variety of ideas on how to set agendas and keep to it, how to encourage active participation among staff, how to capture ideas for later use, and how to receive feedback so the next meeting is even better. An entire chapter is devoted to feel-good "team building" exercises designed to open up communications and get the thoughts flowing. All in all, this would be a great book for any middle or upper-level manager looking to run their meetings more effectively.

Change is difficult. Much as we love new ideas and new technology, changing to respond to innovations, competitive threats and opportunities is often seen as an arduous process. People who can manage change are leaders who command respect and admiration within their organizations.

Meetings are a key part of managing change. Whether you are brainstorming, planning or presenting results, more often than not you will be doing it in a meeting as part of a group process. Understanding what makes a meeting a success will help you create vibrant, productive forums where you can achieve common objectives.

"Successful Meetings" teaches you the art of creating a successful meeting. Whether it's arranging the room, inviting the right people or using the right technology, Shri Henkel takes you step-by-step through the process of running any type of meeting and provides valuable insights along the way. If your meetings aren't motivating, or worse yet, if they are "good enough", you need this book. Read it and your commitment to excellence will be well rewarded.

Eric Sansom has been entertaining readers for years with his comic strip, Toy Trunk Railroad. An excellent stylist and writer, he creates an imaginary world that's a pleasure to stop and visit time and again. A "must read" for true comic strip enthusiasts.

Give me some good, old timey comics and I'm happy. Erik Sansom has done one better: a new strip full of fun adventures of Casey, Jeb and a whole cast of goofy, well-drawn, well-meaning folks. It's the kind of fun comics work that isn't being done anymore. Well worth reading by a fellow who genuinely loves cartooning.

There are two amazing things about TTR: the art is modern, while giving the impression that it was drawn by a master of years past. And when the final panel pulls into the station, the punchline equals the art.

Actually, there are three amazing things about TTR and this first collection: I have zero interest in the paraphrenalia of trains -- the consequence of being friends with a railfan -- but a complete fascination with surefooted humor. TTR may get about on a rail, but its feet are firmly planted on the ground; smartly dressed in clown shoes.

I'd mention that the main characters are sharply penned and entirely convincing, but I've already surpassed my list of two amazements; I'll leave the rest of the wonders to your discovery.

I'm very impressed by the shifts in alternate realities that take place within the strip, as the inhabitants of a model train layout come to life. It's reminiscent of "Calvin & Hobbes."

If you like fun cartoons with an imaginative flair look no further, your train has arrived. Hop aboard Toy Trunk Railroad for a ride of laughs and chuckles. This book contains all the best aspects of cartooning: stylish artwork, well written jokes and imaginative storytelling. I would recommend it to anyone; in fact I am. Buy this book today and experience the ride you have been waiting for.

This is an absolutely great and needed book!!! Breast cancer seems to run in my family and after seeing two grandmothers suffer from it, I decided to take things into my own hands! I decided to research prevention a little more after picking up a pamphlet from the American Cancer Society at my doctors office and under the "Best Defense" for Breast Cancer they listed only early detection! While breast exams and mammography are important, they only detect cancer once it has hit you!!

I thought it was ridiculous that the American Cancer Society would say nothing about diet and excercise, and the multitudes of carcinogenic chemicals, and not give us any concrete ways to actually prevent breast cancer! As the author of this book says - in only about 30% of breast cancer cases do any of the traditional 'risk factors' (such as family history of the disease, late menarche, late pregnancy, etc) play any part! And breast cancer rates in the U.S. have been rising for the last several decades, while there are some groups of women that are not as afflicted with breast cancer! There is so much we can do to help PREVENT breast cancer, which is the topic of this book!

This book is a great source of information and a great resource that brings in together many different facets of breast cancer causes and prevention - from alcohol use, to pesticide use, to water filtration, to animal fat and other diet concerns, to excercise and stress reduction, etc, etc.
This book has a great section on all the good kinds of food to eat and hints and recipes on how to incorporate them into your diet. It also has a great section talking about excercise programs, and several diagrams of proper stretching techniques. It also has a chapter for parents of young girls - to help even further reduce thier risk of developing breast cancer when they are an adult.

I have already bought a copy of this book for my mom and grandma, and am considering getting it for all my aunts and female cousins! This is a GREAT book, and I wish they could somehow get all the information in it to every woman!

Ever since my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer I have read almost anything I can get my hands on regarding this dreadful disease. This book is by far the most outstanding I have read. I wish I had looked here first. Joseph Keon's 7-step plan is remarkable and so very easy to read. I've read it from cover to cover 3 or 4 times and have tried almost all of the recipes he suggests. They are just fantastic. I've watched my weight and exercised regularly most of my life....now I feel that, with his help, I'm on the right track with nutrition, too. If only we all would follow his advice, maybe there would be less people having to deal with breast cancer. I highly recommend reading this book.

The Truth About Breast Cancer: A 7-Step Prevention Plan is a soundly researched and highly accessible work that offers practical, useful information about breast cancer and what those at risk can do to prevent it. Joseph Keon surveys and explains the risk factors for breast cancer, offers a complete seven-step approach to preventing breast cancer, and four chapters dedicated to "Cooking for Health" and transitioning to a risk-avoidance dietary life-style. Enhanced with resource lists, extensive notes, and an index, The Truth About Breast Cancer is highly recommended, life-saving reading specifically and successfully designed for the non-specialist general reader.

Dr. Keon's book should be required reading for everyone: women, men (and especially) doctors.

My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer before Christmas '99 and has healed herself with the information contained in this life-saving book.

Joseph Keon, Ph.D. says "women can do much more to reduce the risk of breast cancer than perform self-exams and subject themselves to mammograms." In The Truth About Breast Cancer: A 7-Step Prevention Plan, Keon describes the known causes of cancer and presents ways that every woman can reduce her risk of developing breast cancer.

He shows how "most cancer is strongly related to environmental factors and lifestyle choices to which we expose ourselves." These are factors and choices which individuals can control, at least to a certain extent.

Although statistics from the American Institute for Cancer Research shows that "between 30 and 50 percent of all breast cancer can be prevented through a healthful diet and regular exercise," the focus in mainstream medicine remains on treating breast cancer, rather than on preventing it.

Some risk factors can't be changed. For example, more women than men develop breast cancer, and a family history of breast cancer increases an individual woman's risk. Other factors are subject to limited choices, such as whether or not to reduce your risk by becoming pregnant while young, choosing whether or not to breast-feed, or opting for estrogen-replacement therapy.

Factors like alcohol consumption, weight, smoking, stress, exposure to radiation (X-rays), and diet are, however, under the control of most women. Of all these, good nutrition is the most important factor in preventing breast cancer. A diet high in dairy products is exceptionally unhealthy. (Contrary to popular commercials, dairy products can cause a net loss of calcium, leaving no reason to consume them.)

Dr. Keon also presents an extensive discussion of how various other foods affect the immune system, either strengthening the body's defenses, or weakening them so that individuals become susceptible to disease.

His 7-step program includes eating a healthy diet (one that is free of animal fats), choosing organically-grown foods (to minimize intake of harmful chemicals), drinking pure water (again, to minimize harmful chemicals), reducing the use of toxic chemicals in your home, avoiding alcohol, exercising, and meditating to reduce stress. He provides detailed instructions for implementing all seven steps.

Dr. Keon also discusses the fact that girls are reaching puberty at younger and younger ages--some as early as three years old. This significantly increases their chances of developing breast cancer as women. He offers suggestions to mothers on how to protect their children, primarily by starting healthy habits when they're young.

Dr. Keon says "the Truth About Breast Cancer will help you understand the ways you may be at risk for breast cancer, and how you can take this knowledge and use it to make real-life changes that reduce your risk and increase your level of health, your overall well-being, and your peace of mind."

It's a book that every woman needs to read.

Sandra I. Smith Reviewer

This book is an excellent way to determine a beginning program in terms of effort and time and a logical method how to progress without burning out. It has some questionaires, but don't be put off by the arithmetic. The charts determining your VO2 are accurate (correleated with my 1 1/2 run time) and the method of determining your first weeks target number and the increase for each week, helps you from being too lazy or pushing not hard enough. However it would have been good if the chart on the VO2 had been supplemented with a percentage(%) maximum heart rate chart, but the % heart rate and the correlated VO2 can be found on the web. In short, the point system is far superior to the Aerobic Points from the Ken Coopers books.

The biggest benefit this book gave me was a reasonable, sensible goal. Without some kind of measurable goal (in this case, meeting the minimum number of exercise points per week), you have nothing to measure yourself against and I always felt I wasn't doing enough! Now, when I've done my exercise for the week and I don't feel like getting up on Saturday morning, I just crawl back into bed! And it's working! Without changing my diet I've lost 10 pounds over the last month, just by using my stationary bicycle, hiking, and exercise videos.

This is a great book. It illustrates the fundamental theories of health and excercise in a rational straight foward way. Also all the scientific proof is written in the book for the cynics. The point system may not be a favourite for everyone but once you get the gist of the program and start analysing food labels for yourself it is really easy to add in a few more exotic foods. It is very simple to keep track of what you have eaten and how much energy you have expended without having to anlalyse everything you do during the day. One point that may be relevant to note is the ratio that foods should be consumed in. Like all books, it is biased towards the authors background. Body builders like weider and bill phillips recommend far larger meat intakes than this book. This book also focusses on having a greater complex carbohydrate intake than some newer books.

This is the closest thing to an idiot-proof fitness plan out there; trust me, I should know. Before I started using this book, I was overweight and not very fit. In school I was the kid who hated gym class and faked doctor's notes to get out of it. Over the years I had tried and failed at lots of fitness regimens. Then a friend gave me this book, saying it had worked for her. A year later I have slimmed down and I feel a lot stronger and more energetic. This may sound like a cheesy testimonial, but it's true. What's great is that the author, Dr. Richard Brown, uses the same plan with the Olympic athletes he coaches -- it is entirely customized to your level of fitness and your goals.

Under this plan, any exercise counts -- from scrubbing floors to Tae-Bo to sailing -- because you rate the effort yourself according to an easy-to-use scale (no heart-rate monitoring). The main point is to choose something you enjoy, the reasoning being that you'll be more likely to stick with it that way. I get my points mostly from walking, stationary cycling, and a strength-training video workout, but I can just as easily figure out my effort for the occasional day of hiking or swimming in the ocean. Even if you don't keep track of your points, you can still use the general principles to pace yourself. The result for me was that I didn't burn out the way I had on other plans, because I was doing exactly the right amount of exercise, and I started noticing the benefits right away. I'd like to thank the author: L.E.A.P. is quite an achievement.

The hardest part of exercise is getting started. This program really helps because it makes every little bit count. You can start by doing lite exercise and move up to more strenuous workouts. If you are already in shape and exercising regularly, you can also benefit. I found the point system fun -- kind of like taking a quiz in a magazine.

Adobe Houses for Today is a concise discussion of building with adobe. All the house plans are well thought out and enable a core house to be built first. While living in the core house, you can build on additional rooms without making structural changes to the core house. The homes appeal to a variety of builders from southwest flat roof styles to homes with gable roofs. Excellent resource.

If you are looking for old traditional Adobe home plans this is not what you are looking for. Other than, this is a very interesting book, very useful in where to get things done.

I agree with other reviewers that one of the most important features of this book is that in the 12 example plans presented, you can economically plan and build the Basic smaller version of 850 to 1000 sq. ft. and when the need arises, add on to the design. If any design meets your needs, you can purchase a working blueprint for $25 including postage and also included at no extra cost for the more technically minded, are a CD-ROM of a CAD version of the chosen working drawing that you can alter making this one of the most complete and convenient packages I have had the pleasure to use.

The one reviewer who said, "If you are looking for old traditional Adobe home plans this is not what you are looking for." was correct. But, if you are looking for a modern adobe home with passive solar traits that is well thought out and will lead you step-by-step, this is the book/package for you. Covers both traditional "flat roofs" and "gabled roofs".

This is a terrific book to get started thinking about the adobe home you want to build, especially if you're planning on building "green." The floor plans and accompanying CAD generated images are practical and straightforward. The text covers the basics of adobe home building, including the advantages and disadvantages the owner may want to consider first. If you're considering building a modest adobe home, this book is an excellent place to begin. Working blueprints of the floor plans are available for a minimal cost as well should the owner decide to adopt one as is.

this book was very informative, and had mulitple plans with all kinds of potential additions. great book for someone looking for a book that can give them concrete ideas for building an adobe house.

As a speech-language pathologist, I feel the book was an outstanding guide for understanding the symptoms and preventative measures to overcome the onset of the disease. I would recommend this book to colleagues, patients and family members for an informative, and exceptionally well-written book. Dr. Fortanasce has written the information so all can understand the impact this disease has on the patient and the family.

I found this book to be very well written. It was easy to read and understand. My mother-in-law was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's. This book was very informative. It gave me a better understanding of the disease. I would recommend this book highly!

Wow,this book is great. My wife was just diagnosed with dementia. This book helps explain what I had been observing, what we're experiencing, what we can expect and how to delay the decline.

Finally my wife and I have found helpful and useful information about how to prevent Alzheimer's horrible predicament. This book answers many of our questions and provides comfort for our many concerns.

Dr. Fortanasce's "Anti-Alzheimer's Prescription" is written in an easy to read, non-clinical style. Combining established scientific findings and anecdotal information based on years of clinical practice, he presents the 4 step program in a logical and compelling way. Especially if there is a history of Alzheimer's in your family, or if you are just interested in staying "at the top of your game" for as many years as possible, the Anti-Alzheimer's Prescription offers the reader simple and practical lifestyle interventions to promote longevity of mind and spirit.

I had a long list of books I promised myself I would read upon finishing school. One was "The Corporate Rat Race". This book has challenged me in many ways - from both a career and a personal perspective. There is much to be taken from this book that applies to more than just corporate life. I am glad that I read it.

A friend recommended The Corporate Rat Race to me and at first blush I admit I was not particularly interested in the book's subject matter. Within the first couple of paragraphs Paul had me hooked and I had a hard time putting it down. The Corporate Rat Race is an informative, quick and fun (did I just say 'fun' about a book found in the business section?!) read about the evolution of corporate America and business ethics in today's world. The principles discussed here are as another reviewer put it, "easy to understand and apply." This sets The Corporate Rat Race apart from its competitors in the same genre. I highly recommend.

Mr. Ulasien took a very practical and applicable view point of a hot topic among Corporate America workers today. Not only did the title catch my attention, but the book totally captivated me. It was obvious that the author spent many hours researching the evolution of Corporate America, and how the rat race came to be. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about his and others' experiences, and I personally related to several scenarios. This is must read book!

Based on his many years of experience in the Corporate Rat Race, Paul Ulasien has provided practical and timely advice on how to survive in today's workforce. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and cannot decide which part of it I like best: the trip down "history lane", reading the real-life examples and recognizing myself and co-workers, or the "words of wisdom" and humor interjected throughout. This book is a must for anyone who wants to bring renewed attention to their personal situation and make sound decisions on how to survive in Corporate America!

Paul did an excellent job in breaking down the corporate challenges facing today's worker in an easy to understand format. The author's use of examples and real world scenarios made it easy for the reader to relate and gave you a feeling of being there. Having come from corporate America I now have a better understanding of the "why" things have become as they are. I have recommended this book to friends and co-workers and it has been well received. Looking forward to his next book.