Becker Books

Compassion offers a little bit of everything: mysticism, philosophy, psychology, myth, revelation, religion, physics, and personal testimony. It is composed in such a way that one may read it systematically, or simply flip through, open to a page, and begin. Compassion's presentation of the Abba anagram should very well be a new diagnostic tool for metaphysicians. And the path of compassion to love to good makes alot of sense. I strongly recommend this book to any reader interested in spirituality: it suits all religions, and styles of faith. The only real negative to this book, is that the grammar and punctuation could be better; that kept it from being five stars. Otherwise, it is a magnificent book!

THIS IS A BOOK WHICH HAS A GREAT DEAL TO OFFER TO ANYONE WHO READS IT. I FOUND IT TO BE A VERY THOUGHT PROVOKING BOOK IN ALL OF THE CHAPTERS THAT I READ.I FOUND THAT IT NOT ONLY OFFERS A PHILOSPICAL APPROACH TO LIFE,BUT THAT THERE IS A GREAT DEAL A READER CAN FIND WITHIN THE BOOK THAT WILL HELP THEM IN THEIR EVERDAY LIFE AND SOMETIMES OUR LIFE CONFLICTS AND FRUSTATIONS. I WOULD CAUTION THE READER,HOWERVER, THAT THIS IS A BOOK WHICH WILL REQUIRE THE READER TO GO SLOWLY AND NOT TO RUSH TRYING TO READ IT. IT IS WELL WORTH TAKING THE TIME TO READ IT WITH GREAT CARE IN THAT THE READER WILL FIND THEY WILL NOT ONLY ENJOY THE BOOK BUT WILL GAIN FAR MORE UNDERSTANDING FROM IT. I WOULD ENCOURAGE ANYONE TO GET THIS BOOK IT WILL BE SOMETHING THEY WILL GET A GREAT DEAL FROM.

Its as if this book were alive. Words jump out at you as you read. A sentence becomes a universe. An idea becomes shear bliss. And as page after page are read on, the book takes on a sense of being the most sublime journey one could take in non-fiction literature. Keith Becker's writings on compassion, love, and good are metaphysical, first and foremost, and yet they are immediately practiceable: he is unlike a theoritician that writes in abstract terms, but never comes down to earth. In discussing various disciplines and methods, and by using his own personal testimony, numerous examples, and timely metaphors and allegories, Mr. Becker's work achieves a theoretical complexity and pragmatical simplicity few before him have done. I would say Mr. Becker's first book stands toe to toe with any new philsophy, theology, or revealed writing of the modern era. Unlike Conversations with God and the Celestine Prophecy, there is an infinite depth to "The Road of Compassion." Its as if I could see the eternal as I read from its pages. Reading it reminded me of what the people said about Jesus: "he is one who does not speak like the rabbis and scribes, but as one who has authority." Reading this book could be a great life-event, and not simply taking in information, or reading for entertainment. I believe Mr. Becker's work comes from the "hand of God," and is an offering of a new way for us Modern ones.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in this area, it has been a great help to me and to many others that I know.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in this area, it has been a great resource and help to me!

This volume of Sociological Methodology touches on both long standing and more recent themes in social statistics. In the first chapter, Adrian Raftery discusses all of these themes, reviewing the analysis of cross-tabulations and statistical methods developed to analyze survey data on individuals. Turning to the future, he discusses the limitations of some current work and outlines developments important for the field in the coming years, such as social networks, the analysis of longitudinal network data, spatial statistics, and social interactions. Durlaf's outstanding and forward looking work on what is perhaps the most important issue in sociology, the interdependence between group and individual, proposes models that can be used to inform important sociological issues, such as whether to have child, to move, or how many years of education one seeks. The editors of this volume have taken exceptional care to be mindful of the needs and interests of readers of Sociological Methodology and offer here a very rich and rewarding spectrum of issues and perspectives.
CONTENTS
RAFTERY Statistics in Sociology, 1950 2000: A Selective Review
DURLAUF A Framework for the Study of Individual Behavior and Social Interactions (Discussion by Bowles, Tao and Winship, Dechter, and Durlauf)
GILULA AND HABERMAN Analysis of Categorical Response Profiles by Informative Summaries
GOODMAN AND HOUT Statistical Methods and Graphical Displays for Analyzing How the Association Between Two Qualitative Variables Differs Among Countries, Among Groups, or Over Time. Part II: Some Exploratory Techniques, Simple Models, and Simple Examples.
MAGIDSON AND VERMUNT Latent Class Factor and Cluster Models, Bi Plots and Related Graphical Displays
SCOTT AND HANDOCK Covariance Models for Latent Structure in Longitudinal Data
WHITE AND HARARY The Cohesiveness of Blocks in Social Networks: Connectivity and Conditional Density
SIJNDERS The Statistical Evaluation of Social Network Dynamics

Quick , amusing book (the first in a series ) about a girl named Dawn who discovers on her 13th Birthday that she has inherited magical powers through her Mothers side of the family.
Much chaos and hilarity ensues as Dawn adjusts to her new role,makes and learns from many magical mistakes and struggles with how to break the news to her best friend and cousin Jennifer.
Although they are totally unrelated, the plot reminds me a bit of "Teen Witch" , and similar movies that were popular in the late 80's.
Very cute and fun.

This book will brew your cauldron!!!... A girl named Dawn on her Thirteenth birthday wishes for something new and wonderful. Let's just say what she got was something extraordinary,and most normal people don't get it. If you want to know what this extraordinary and special thing is , read the book. Tiffany

Okay i know it's out of print and will take a million years to arrive (i know, i have ordered books 2 and 3) but they are really great books! I have worn book #1 out completely and now i have gone and lost it (boo-hoo...)

Its about this girl who gets magic powers when she turns thirteen. I know it is kinda corny but who cares, i love em anyway!

I bought for horse-crazy 6- and 8-year-olds -- who are too young yet to really "read" them -- and mom has scheduled read-aloud time.

I bought this book for a friend's birthday and looked through it before giving it to her and found it very interesting and informative. The questions are questions that the least to the most experienced horseman or women would relate to. The answers are informative and the print is not to small or large. I would recommend this book to everyone.

Having grown up in Central Kentucky, I have had the pleasure of being around Thoroughbreds all my life. For the past 20 years, I have made my living in the Thoroughbred industry. "Why Do Horses Sleep Standing Up?" is another example that no individual can know everything there is to know about these great animals. It is a truly wonderful book that provides colorful insight as to why horses do some of the things they do.

My son loved this book because it has pictures of all of his favorite construction equipment, boats, planes and fire engines. I loved this book because it is well illustrated and gives names for all of the pieces of equipment that I didn't know -- perfect for answering the question "What's that?". My son takes this on every trip and has spent hours reading this book on the plane (in itself worth the cover price).

For my two-year old boy, this is the book we take along if we are only taking along one book. The main advantage of this large board book is that I don't have to read it over and over to him, he will be entertained just by looking at the very busy pictures: a harbor with 20 different kinds of boats, all named; a train yard with 20 different named items; an airport, a busy downtown scene, and so on. Each page has a little paragraph that can be read, and the names of the various vehicles. Great literature it's not. It's sold as a vocabulary-builder, but nobody needs to know that many names of vehicles. The text does facilitate discussion - hours of discussion if necessary (I found out in a hospital waiting room). A very entertaining picture book from a little boy's point of view, and I have been very glad to have it with me at times. I've only seen it sold as a board book. (Since board books are becoming such an important part of an on-the-go child's library, let's all urge ... to start clarifying for every children's book if it's available in board book format and if the board book is in abridged or unabridged format.) My son's friends also like this book, and I've bought two copies as gifts.

This is a great reference for little ones just learning to talk (and their parents). We read it daily when my son was two. He is now four and still likes to look at the pictures. I have given several of these books as gifts.

Hoping that this is the man also known as Marty Becker, DVM.... I have not yet read Dr. Becker's new book but not for long, because I'm ordering it) but I want those of you who are not familiar with his work know that he is a very talented author. He writes article for many veterinary magazines on numerous subjects related to the field and I look forward to each new article. He is innovative and has a great sense of humor. Dr. Beckeris one of those people who we look up to and say "Man, how can anyone be so talented?" He is also a motivating speaker/lecturer and is very personable. This book should be no exception from what I have seen from Dr. Becker in the past.

This book is a very well written "primer" for those folks considering an addition to their lives, of the "doggy" kind. Doctor Becker takes the reader from choosing a dog, to the 'how to' areas of common sense. Written in simple, easy to read text, all levels of readers will benefit. Doctor Becker reinforces basic training techniques and disspells old myths. Worth the money.

A great read. Not complex in termonolgy. However, its histroical foundation is stronlgy roman catholic. You can tell that the author is a fathful roman rite christian by the termonolgy. Eastern orthodox christians might enjoy this work, but they might be discouraged at the historical view by the roman rite infulance.Not to be recommended for its histrorical accuarcy but rather as a work of fiction.

This short novel is an excellent choice for summer reading. The author has used her literary skills to weave an entertaining and edifying story that to a great extent portrays the true history of Saint of Athanasius the Apostolic. Athanasius was born in a Christian Egyptian, Copt, family in Alexandria, Egypt. He is the well-known Father of Orthodoxy, Confessor, Doctor of the Universal Catholic Church, and the 20th Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt. Saint Athanasius most famous legacy is the Nicene Creed used by most of the contemporary Churches, Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox allover the world. Though the novel is about a historical and spiritual figure, its touch on theology and religion is rather light. I think Christians of all denominations and non-Christians alike would appreciate it, as the novel portrays the struggle and courage of the human indomitable spirit, as it defends the truth against injustice and persecution. It provides a role model for children of all faiths in the 21ist century.
The novel, not necessarily the true history, starts with Athanasius family leaving their home in Alexandria, Egypt to flee the Roman state-sponsored persecution of Christians to live among a secret community of monks. They meet with Anthony, the well-known ascetic. The young Athanasius develops a friendship with Anthony. The novel follows the true history, however, as their friendship lasts throughout their lives. Athanasius later on wrote a book about the life of Anthony and introduced Coptic monasticism to Europe and Christendom allover the world.
The novel portrays the true cultural milieu of the Copts, and the prominent role Coptic women play in the family and society at large. Athanasius mother instructed young Athanasius " Listen my son, every Christian must live the life of Christ." She also admonished him " You will learn the ways of civilization. You will go to a real school and become an educated man." Alexander, the Patriarch of the see of Alexandria, took interest in young Athanasius and made him his secretary. Under Alexander's guidance Athanasius continued pursuing education from famous philosophers of the catechetical school of Alexandria. He frequented the great library of Alexandria, in the shadow of Cleopatra's needles situated between the temples of Poseidon and Serapis.
The life of Athanasius is essentially the story of defending Christianity against the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ. Arius, who started this heresy, was an ambitious presbyter at a Church in Alexandria. The politically well-connected Bishop Eusebius of Nicomedia, and several Roman Emperors supported Arius. Alexander asked Athanasius, who was still a young deacon to present the Church of Egypt defense against the Arian heresy to the council of Nicea 325 AD. The universal Catholic Church accepted Athanasius's defense of orthodoxy, rejected Arius heretical views, and endorsed the formulation of the Nicene Creed. Shortly thereafter Alexander passed away, and Athanasius replaced him. It was a long, at times lonely, struggle for Athanasius against the Arian heresy. He faced false accusations, malice, banishments, and violence at the hands of the Arians. His strong faith in the Holy Trinity did not waiver however. His strong faith, learning, erudition, writing and sense of humor were the main instruments for defense against the Arians. Many friends and allies also supported Athanasius long struggle. Anthony, the monks, and most of the Egyptian population including many pagans supported Athanasius. Many of the leaders of the Churches of the west t including Bishop Hosius of Cordova, Spain and Pope Julius also supported Athanasius against the Arian heresy. Under pressure from the Roman Emperor Constantius Pope Liberius and Bishop Hosius were forced to sign on the Arian creed. That must have been the saddest and loneliest moment in Athanasius life. It was the whole world was against Athanasius. It was also one of his brightest moments; as Christ and Athanasius were against the world. Pope Liberius and Bishop Hosius recanted the forced and short-lived support for the Arian creed later on.
It is a great novel about courage, steadfastness and moral clarity. For the contemporary Copts, like other readers, this novel provides entertainment, edification and a good role model for children. It is also a reminder that history repeats itself. The banishment of Athanasius reminds the Copts with President Sadat's banishment of Pope Shenouda III in 1981. The Arian persecution of the Copts in the 4th century seems to have similarities to the militant Muslims persecution and violence against the Copts in the 21ist century. Athanasius lonely struggle is reminiscent with the contemporary Copts struggle for their human dignity and rights in their own land in the 21ist century. The story however, also provides comfort and inspiration, for the TRUTH will always prevail

Becker speaks in his Nobel lecture on four areas in which his work has centered. investments in human capital
behavior of the family (or household), including distribution of work and allocation of time in the family,crime and punishment,discrimination on the markets for labor and goods.
One of his areas of focus is on the rising value of time due to economic growth. He explains lower fertility rates on this basis.He also analyses divorce data and makes the conclusion that more wealthy families have fewer divorces precisely because the cost to them is much greater.
He makes observations about Crime which see the activity as often being the result of a rational calculus. He analyses the situations of minorities in societies and says when a minority is a small one dicrimination harms it, and not the larger society. But when a minority becomes large enough discrimination proves detrimental to minority and majority alike.
I do not have the tools to truly analyze or even understand Becker's work. Thus all I have done here is to mention a few of the major points of his work.


Becker at an economics panel discussion at the University of Chicago in 2003
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Becker has written his view over the scope and method of economic analysis. And he argues that economics is a particular way in analyzing human behavior. This is an excellent presntation on the meaning of economics.

An enjoyable work, well written, easy to read and informative. Certainly suggested reading for anyone, professional or otherwise, with a concern or interest in avoiding or predicting violent behavior. I rank it right up there as required reading along with Massad Ayoob's "The Truth About Self Protection" as an industry primer. There is, however, a noticeable bias, or so it seemed to me, by De Becker against a person's right to self defense, and certainly he has some fairly liberal views as to firearms. I found that odd, in that his perceptive insights into predicting violent behavior seem to have taken on an almost overly-sympathetic view towards the perpetrator.

That's the central message of the book, and one that may save your life if you listen to it.

Through this book, de Becker has convinced me that most violence can be predicted. He goes through a great many common situations in which violence happens in the U.S., from encounters with strangers, workplace violence to domestic violence and date stalking. In each situation, he describes the indicators of likely violence. Some of these indicators are so often overlooked and rationalized away by the people involved. My favorite one is called: "Refusal to take no for an answer." It can be as trivial as the new date persisting in offering you a drink. Although trivial, such incidents are very telling about his tendency toward violence.

De Becker also discusses a characteristic in many people that blunts out their intuition to actual dangers: unwarranted anxiety. Due to media and social conditioning and other influences, those people feel fear or anxiety in situations that do not pose actual dangers. Such unwarranted anxiety makes them confused and oblivious to the real signals from their intuition. De Becker offers ways for people to overcome that curse and live a life relatively free from fear and anxiety.

In short, I would highly recommend this book. It is one of the few books should be read by everyone (both men and women).

God's Call is the sequel to Gods Smuggler which is the account of how Brother Andrew begins a ministry of taking bibles into the the closed countries behind the Iron Curtain. God's Call picks up the story and focuses on the minsitry of Brother Andrew and "Open Doors" since that time and his work in Africa, China, and the Middle East including more stories from his days in the former USSR and Eastern Europe.

You will be inspired by his faith and challenge to serve believers in persecuted nations. In the midst of these stories with each chapter brother Andrew lays out principles of how to hear and follow God's call whether across the globe, across your city or across campus.

Another great book by an author who has experienced so much in his lifetime of service to others and to the church worldwide. Deep thoughts and inspiring words fill this book! An absolute gem!