Dean Books

Here's what I wrote on About.com about this book:

At nearly 900 pages, "Plates, Plumes, and Paradigms" is the size of a phone book, or a bible. Having followed the research on its subject for the last decade, I am inclined to think of "P3" as a bible that sets forth the next stage of plate tectonics. Every geology library should have it, and every wide-minded geologist and ambitious graduate student should consider it.

Plate tectonics is geology's primary theory of the Earth. A handful of core elements account for its sweeping success in explaining the configuration and dynamics of the lithosphere--the continents and oceans, gross patterns of topography today and the tectonic forces that have dominated the last 2 billion years or so. When these elements of plate tectonics were formalized in the 1960s, among other things they made sudden sense of almost all the world's volcanism.

Except for the leftover "hotspot" volcanoes. These lie within the plates, away from the active edges where other volcanoes cluster. The textbook examples are the Hawaiian island chain in the mid-Pacific and the line of extinct volcanoes that ends in the Yellowstone region in North America. Soon a plausible hypothesis arose: these volcanic lines are the trails made by plumes of hot material rising from fixed spots deep in the Earth's rocky mantle, perhaps from its very base at the edge of the iron core. The hot spots leave trails of volcanoes as the plates move above them, like ink blots and scribbles left on a moving page from a fixed pen. The hotspot or plume hypothesis was born.

The editors of "Plumes, Plates, and Paradigms" make a good case that the hotspot/plume theorists have spent the last 35 years in a blind alley. They do this through 47 papers that (1) undermine plumes, (2) rethink the possibilities in plates, and (3) attack the mental inertia of the paradigm. After a while one gets the unsettling idea that generations of geoscientists, beguiled by a beautiful but inadequate hypothesis, have taken neither plumes nor plates seriously enough.

Plumes Undermined: The original hotspot theory has morphed over the years. It was first elaborated upon, for instance, to explain another mystery--great bodies of lava known as the oceanic plateaus and the continental flood basalts--with a model involving hot plumes of molten rock. Later still the plumes were allowed to wave and shift in the "mantle wind" and to flow sideways as far as needed. The editors of P3 argue that the constant dodging and weaving of plume theory over the years has left it without power or integrity today. They demonstrate a steady record of failure in plume theory's predictions: hotspots are not hot and not fixed; plume heads are not preceded by large swells; plume trails are not orderly successions; plumes are not seen in the deep mantle; plume heads and plume tails do not match up. And progress in mantle studies has displaced the initial assumptions behind plumes.

Plates Reconsidered: Too many modelers have operated with outdated ideas about plate tectonics and the Earth's structure: that plates are rigid and strong, propelled by convection from below; that the mantle beneath is arranged in neat layers of well-mixed rocks; that heat from below forces the mantle into upwellings. It seems we need to recognize a few more core elements of plate tectonics. If one looks seriously for plate-based explanations of hotspot volcanism, they can be found in the interactions of a heterogeneous "plate graveyard" mantle on the verge of melting and a downwelling-based lithospheric cycle. These possibilities are treated in detail at many specific hotspots (more neutrally called "melting anomalies").

A Paradigm Punctured: Paradigms are bodies of accepted evidence, tightly bound together by theory and underlying assumptions, that are shared by communities of scientists. They can keep the community in efficient coordination, giving everyone a common language and program, or they can go awry in groupthink. Newtonian physics is at the one end; the scientific creationism that met its end in the 1900s is at the other. Paradigms can withstand a great deal of contrary evidence and weaknesses in theory until their assumptions must be changed; that's human nature and it can be irrational. Papers by William Glen and by Don Anderson and James Natland are uniquely valuable in tracing the history of plume theory, its hardening into a "quasi-paradigm" and its response to critics (or lack thereof).

The question of plumes versus plates is not just a wrangle among scientific geeks. This problem is a linchpin in understanding the gross structure of the mantle, its thermal and chemical development, and the history of Earth itself. The thesis of P3 is that in our twin quests to explain Earth's surface geologic details and to explore its deep geophysical framework, plumes now obscure more than they enlighten.

Skillful work by P3's four editors (Anderson, Natland, Gillian Foulger and Dean Presnall) has ensured a polemic edge and clarity of expression throughout the book. The articles are unusually clear for nonspecialist readers, a valuable feature because deep-Earth studies are cross-disciplinary projects. The production is first-rate, with good paper and deft use of color. And the copious reference lists are a ready road into the literature, some of it long overlooked. Although much of this material is presented in scattered or preliminary form on the remarkable mantleplumes.org Web site, there is no substitute for the book format in putting it all together in the detail and rigor readers need for full understanding.

"Plates, Plumes, and Paradigms" is a major milestone in planetary science. For graduate students and professionals with a deep interest in plate tectonics, it is instantly essential. For other readers--undergraduates, analysts, and rare members of the lay public--mastering it will be a long-term undertaking. But Earth will abide, and P3 will be seminal and relevant for many years to come.

This book provides real practical usefull information for PLL/synthesizer designers.
Especially designers working with fractional N PLLs find usefull informations and hints to solve their design problems.

This book is an excellent reference for anyone doing a PLL design. It covers topics relevant to current popular ICs and is especially attentive to the always troublesome issue of noise. Focus is primarily on tri-state charge pump phase detector PLLs which is appropriate since most modern PLLs are of this type.

I found the chapter about "fractional-N" PLLs particularly interesting.

"PLL Performance, Simulation, and Design" is an excellent modern suppement to other PLL books that I have by Rohde and Gardner.

Chuck Dean has done a great deal for other Vietnam Vets in their struggle to come to terms with thier experiences and finding comfort in God. In this book he gives us an inexpensive yet invaluable tool for living our lives and finding that all important relationship with Jesus. I highly recommend it. Chuck also has served as the Chaplain for the 173rd Airborne (Sep) Association and was a leading force in forming Point Man International.

Two great stories! I especially liked the second story. Mrs. Van Scoyoc nearly had me crying by the little girl's plight in the that story. Another thing that I liked about it - that isn't too often found in the horror market - was that my 13 year old daughters could read it. They are pg rated books. Not a whole lot of gore, no sex (other than a jerk making som lesbian comments in 'The Ghosts of Teighlortown Inn' - and that was very mild), and I don't think there were even any curse words. Now some stories have to be brutal, have sex, and they wouldn't feel real if the characters weren't using the 'F' word every now and then, but in these stories there was no need for any of that and it really worked.

A couple of great horror stories that is clean and mild enough to share with my kids, but yet still highly entertaining for me - you don't see that too often.

Dean J. Champion is a sociology professor at Texas A & M University with three decades of research and teaching in the field of criminal justice. "Since 1914, the U.S. Supreme Court has decided many cases involving police misconduct", he wrote in his preface(px). He has compiled a sourcebook of reference material concerning the history of police misconduct and the issues and controversies that arise. His six chapters are 1. History of Police Misconduct; 2. Issues and Controversies; 3. Chronology; 4. Biographical Sketches; 5. U.S. Supreme Court Cases; 6. Agencies and Organizations; and 7. Print and Nonprint Resources.

Professor Champion is concerned about rampant police misconduct, saying "the pervasivenes of police misconduct among police departments throught the United States cannot be underestimated" (p17). He believes that studies and research into this problem are necessary to come to terms with it. Toward this end, he has produced this valuable reference work.

I thought this would be a lot of hilarious reading, which it is, partly. But the author begins the book with a fantastic analysis of most Christians in our country don't vote in line with Biblical values. It's a great job of questioning rather than bashing, and he points out how ridiculous it is that many "religious" people in America seem to be pushed into voting based on fear and hate. They aren't called upon to support socially just causes, ethics, peace, and care for God's green earth. Instead, the Republican party just counts on getting them rialed up over the really important things: God, Guns, and Gays. That's the painfully true analysis. Then the painfully funny stuff begins....
The meat of the book is a collection of all the hate-mail this guy received for supporting Howard Dean for president, yet still calling himself a Christian. The messages he received were truly amazing. I howled at some of them, and was struck dumb by some of the creative threats and admonitions. It truly provides an insight into right wing America, from crack-pots, TBN addicts, and "red state" residents, to reasonable and thoughtful religious folk who are torn by loyalties. Well worth the read.

For so long time, people have though that centralized, unified and developed bureaucratic system is the most useful and efficient institution to produce and provide public service, even local public service. The efforts of Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis at Indiana University tell us that it is definitely wrong. Such system is among the most wasteful and unefficient systems. After so many years empirical research about local police service and metropolitan governance in USA, they strongly argue that over-lapping jurisdiction and polycentric governance are far more efficient than unified and centralized governance. In terms of its som much innovation, I would like to call it as a creative revolution in both theoretical and practical area of local public econoies. The more I would like to say is that this book has been translated into Chinese and the formal publication is forthcoming.

This is a must-read for any poet or poetry lover. I am so happy there is finally an entire collection of Greek American poetry - this is some of the strongest writing of our time. Cleopatra Mathis is amazing - as well as Veronica Golos, Penelope Karageorge, Nina Karacosta, Kathryn Maris, and M.J. Golias.

Researchers constantly find that reading to children is valuable in a variety of ways, not least of which are instilling a love of reading and improved reading skills. With better parent-child bonding from reading, your child will also be more emotionally secure and able to relate better to others. Intellectual performance will expand as well. Spending time together watching television fails as a substitute.

To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. The Pooh Story Book was one of her picks.

I started reviewing books from this perspective many months ago. I am both glad and sad to report that this is the last recommendation from our daughter. I hope you have found her picks to be rewarding for your family.

This book contains three stories from Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh corner. Because the stories are from the original material and have the fine illustrations that all love, they are first class in every sense.

But because they come out of context from the books, you'll need to fill you child in a little about who Winnie-the-Pooh, Christopher Robin, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, and the others are. If that means that you have not yet read these two books, this will be a good excuse for you to do so. Many people have seen cartoons or excerpts from the books, but fewer and fewer read them. That's a shame, because they are among the best of all books for children in the 4-6 age group.

For these stories, it is important to remember that Winnie-the-Pooh has a small brain which can only do so much thinking. But he has a wonderful heart, and is always helping others. His small brain often turns up solutions that exceed the bigger brains of others.

The first story is "In Which a House Is Built at Pooh Corner for Eeyore." Pooh and Piglet realize that everyone has a house except Eeyore, who must sleep in the field. They decide to do something about it . . . with humorous complications that turn out all right in the end. The moral of the story is that favors depend on your perspective. You can follow up on this story by explaining how miscommunications happen, and how to avoid them.

The second story is "In Which Piglet Is Entirely Surrounded by Water." This is one of my favorite sections from Winnie-the-Pooh and involves a fictional equivalent of Noah's flood. Piglet is about to be flooded out of his tree-based house by rising water, and seeks to be rescued. He sends out a note in a bottle, which creates Pooh-based complications.

The third story is "In Which Pooh Invenets a New Game and Eeyore Joins In." This story captures the innocence and openness of children to create their own play. Pooh notices that the pine cone he accidentally drops into the river is pulled down by the current. He soon makes a game out of guessing which item he drops (usually sticks) will come down stream the fastest. Soon all of his friends start to play. Then, something unexpected shows up in the river! The rest of the story will keep you laughing and smiling for hours.

May your life be filled with Winnie's wonderful stories and songs, and your heart be lightened by them!

Be sure these stories become part of the loving heritage of your family by reading them to your children and grandchildren and passing them along to your great grandchildren.