Richard Books

I usually like the running books with a 12 or 16 week schedule pre written for you so was wondering if Salazar's book would be well suited for me, in that I would have to write my running schedule myself. After reading his book, I found his advice easy to follow and the rule's of thumb's that he recommends are very helpful when you feel like deviating from your schedule since you now know the range to work within. Rick

I'm a novice runner wanting to take it to the next level and needed some advise and inspiration. I found that I was doing several things wrong and I have made major improvements in my running since buying the book. I now have a plan of action for continued improvement, and this book can take me there and beyond.

This book is quick and simple to read and covers all the basics, plus more. It's been extremely helpful.

This is my favorite running book by far. Alberto Salazar is obviously trying to convey the best information he can to the reader and he does a great job. The book is weak in the area of training schedules but strong on virtually everything else. Most of the book has been useful to me on a daily basis. The only real complaint I have is that the author, like many of the older elite runners , does not personally do as much stretching as he recommends for the reader, does not use a heart rate monitor, etc. But he, as a coach, recommends it to other runners while not having a whole lot of personal experience and it shows. I use both so sometimes I read between the lines. He also does not understand cycling and its effect on the runner. A not uncommon malady among runners.

An excellent and complete review of this book was written by the Zimmermans. I would, however, like to add that from the perspective of a better than middle of the pack masters runner, that this book contains everything you need to be a successful road runner. Most of the information is not new but it is an excellent SINGLE SOURCE for anyone who wants to find a way to improve his or her running. Although co-written by an elite runner, I was pleased to read about training in a manner to which I could relate. The pace charts, age graded and other tables are excellent. Thanks to both Alberto and Richard for writing a running book that made me feel they were talking directly to me. BRAVO!

Since Alberto Salazar was a former world-class runner
himself, before retiring from competitive running, this
book is definitely worth checking out. It also helped that
elite runners like Bill Rodgers and Mary Decker Slaney also
had positive comments regarding this book.
This book is useful because it takes you from preparing
race, the race itself, and the post-race routines. It also
discusses injuries, and how to deal with them, and other
associated topics, like the psychological aspect of running,
and basics like weight training, crosstraining and nutrition.
If you're a beginner or even a veteran runner, you will
find useful advice, because there was a few things I picked
up in this book that I don't recall seeing in other running
books, and viceversa. If I had a complaint, is that it only
had a sample training schedule for someone training for their
first marathon, not including his own elite schedule when he
was running 120 miles or more weekly. This schedule was not
of any use to me, because my weekly training mileage already
exceeds the highest weekly mileage suggested in the book.
However, despite this, it is well worth the investment,
if you plan to enter a road race at some point in the future.
The topics are logically organized in a chronological fashion
that makes the book easy and simple to read. FYI, if you want
a sneak peek, here's a look at the Table of Contents, and you
can decide if this book is for you or you can take a pass and
look for another book that will fit your goals more suitably.

CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction From the 100 Yard Dash to 1
the Ultramarathon

Part 1. Preparing To Race

1. On The Road To Racing 9
Why Race*Coaching What Nature Gave You*
Before You Start*Stages of Life*Medical Issues

2. Basic Principles of Running Faster 23
Muscle, Power, Fuel and Oxygen*Base Training*Speed
Training*Lab Tests and Training Theory*Callusing
The Mind*Rest*Building a Workout Schedule

3. Base Training
Hard-Easy Pattern*LSD Pacing*Warm-Up and Cooldown* 38
Hydration*Maintaining Consitency*Overtraining

4. Running Form
Upper-Body Form*Leg Motion*One Ideal Form 50

5. Speed Training 61
Eyeing The Prize*The Variety of Speed Workouts*
Picking Your Benchmark Pace*How To Run A Speed
Workout*Customizing Your Speed Workout*Training for
the Distances*Other Workouts*Putting It All Together

Part 2. Oiling The Machine

6. Stretching 85
Stretching Basics*Ten-Minute Stretching

7. Weight Training and Cross-Training 95
Lower-Body Exercises (Core Program)*Upper-Body
Exercises (Core-Program)*Pylometrics*Cross-
Training

8. Nutrition and Weight Control 112
Nutrition Basics*Fueling The Serious Athlete*
The Right Weight For You*Body Composition:
Measuring The Fat

9. Aches and Pains 126
Basics of Field Repairs*Common Hurts*Excess
Pronation and its Control*Coming Back After an
Injury Layoff*DMSO*Lesser Ailments*Other Maladies

10. The Runner's Mind 157
Paying The Price*Building The Confidence*Letting Go*
Relaxation*The Mental Race: Fighting Fatigue*Long-
Term Motivation

Part 3. The Race

11. Getting Ready 171
Choosing Your Race*Planning Your Race*Tapering*
Registration and Packet Pickup*The Night Before The
Race

12. Race Day 179
Rise and Shine*Warming Up*The Start

13. After The Gun 190
Split Times*Race Strategy 101*The Dictates of Nature*
Fine-Tuning Your Pace*Hydration*Gels

14. The Finish and Beyond 207
The Final Mile*At The Finish Line*Recovery*Setting
Your Next Goal

Part 4. The Marathon--And More

15. The Marathon 219
Marathon Training*The Big Day*The Recovery

16. Masters Running 240
Masters Physiology: Bad News/Good News*Masters
Training*Age-Graded Performance Standards

17. Advanced Challenges 255
Race Strategy 102: Racing People Rather Than The
Clock*Cross-Country and Trail Running*Relay Races*
Alternative-Format Races*Mega-Races*Triathlons*
Ultramarathons

Appendix: Pace Chart of Common 273
Workout and Racing Distances

Index 279

All in all, this book is fairly easy and fast to read. You
could probably finish the book in 4-5 hours, since there

are diagrams, charts, and other detailed information. It's
nearly 300 pages, but a person could probably polish it
off in a weekend or less if they devote a couple of hours
or so each day.

It's a must for anyone who needs to have a deep and clear understanding of the world of the authentication.

I'm a research assistant, having finished my Master of Sciences in Electronic Commerce (2003) in the Department of Computer Science and Operations Research at Université de Montréal (Montreal (QC) Canada) and who has written a master's thesis called "ASEMC-Authentication for a SEcure M-Commerce". The book has brought me great contributions in a very clear language even if it is a technical matter. It makes extensive use of pictures, schemas, and graphs that allow us easily understand the authentication methods. Actually, it makes use of the visual intelligence of each one of us!

Smith does a great job of writing about authentication while being vendor agnostic.

The book provides everything you need to know about PKI and other crucial security topics.

Authentication is one of the 4 pillars of information security(authorization, confidentiality and integrity being the other three); but very little has directly been written directly on the topic outside of the academic community; until this book.

Authentication: From Passwords to Public Keys is an excellent work that covers all of the direct areas of authentication. Authentication is a huge challenge in that most users would prefer to have their passwords short and easy to remember, which is exactly what a password should not be.

Even if there were a lot of other books available on the subject, Authentication: From Passwords to Public Keys still would be required reading.

I'm in complete agreement with the previous reviewers that this book is easy to read and that it clearly explains complex material.

What I like is the way the author integrates theory, application and the human side of authentication. For example, he makes excellent use of tables to distill and display information, such as summary tables for attacks and defenses that are cross-referenced to each other. This is particularly useful to anyone who is developing security profiles, and the thorough and meticulous way that the author summarizes the information reduces the attack-defense pairings to the essentials.

His clear explanations of authentication methods and their underlying technologies, as well as how they evolved, are among the clearest in print. More importantly, he goes beyond explaining the mathematics behind the protocols by also showing how assumptions can lead to exposures. An example is the 4-digit lock, which has 10,000 possible combinations. At first glance it would seem that you have a 1-in-10000 chance of guessing the combination. However, he goes on to explain that a study showed 50% of people chose a calendar date for the combination, then leads you through the math of showing why you have approximately 1-in-512 chance of breaking the combination on the first try. He uses similar techniques throughout the book, which makes you think in real-world terms. It's his treatment of the people side of the authentication techniques that add to the real-world approach.

I also thought that the chapter on picking PINs and passwords was exceptional. I've written password management policies and procedures for a number of clients in recent years and thought I was an expert. After reading this 37-page chapter I discovered what I didn't know - and it was a lot!

Each chapter is filled with facts that you may have or have not considered, and each is filled with common sense, backed up with the math or technical underpinnings. Moreover, the book complete covers authentication and will get anyone quickly up-to-speed on the basics and many of the finer points. This book is especially important as a resource to anyone who is involved in health care because the material is directly applicable to requirements set forth in HIPAA. It is also essential reading for anyone who develops or manages security in a web- or e-commerce environment because of the dependencies upon the technologies and methods that are discussed in this book. IT security specialists will also find this book to be an invaluable resource, especially the parts that cover password management, social engineering and practical applications of authentication.

An exciting book on authentication, of all things? Is such a thing even possible? Yes, Richard E. Smith proves it by publishing Authentication - a comprehensive guide to all things that authenticate or are authenticated. The book will educate you on more aspects of authentication than you ever wanted to know, but most likely you will enjoy it. As a security professional, I found the author's writing style to be excellent and even entertaining, a clear sign of writing by a true expert on the subject.

Every obscure form of authentication protocol (have you heard of X9.17 lately?) finds its place in a book. Passwords, tokens, biometrics, various authentication protocols are all described and analyzed in great detail, in plain English and with multiple diagrams. Another valuable feature is that for every authentication protocol, the relevant attacks and defenses are outlined in every chapter summary. The attacks which are not covered by existing defenses ("residual attacks") are emphasized at the end as something to watch for. For example, a 'trojan horse' attack to steal authentication credentials is one of them - apparently there is no 100 percent reliable way to stop it.

A chapter on passwords contains several creative ideas to make this ubiquitous form of authentication more effective, simultaneously more secure and more usable. It also answers some interesting password questions. When does it make no sense to enforce a complex non-dictionary password? How random is a random password from a dictionary? Why is a bank PIN of four digits secure enough for the job? When it is better to write a password down? Read the book and you will discover the answers! The book also explains public key crypto systems and their use for authentication (such as PKI).

People issues of security also receive well-deserved coverage in a separate chapter. Various kinds of secrets used for people as passwords are outlined. An interesting discussion on choosing an initial password when providing system access reveals important aspects of this process that few people think about.

For more technically inclined readers, straightforward analysis of complexities of Windows authentication (LANMAN, NTLM, Kerberos) and attacks against it is provided in a "Challenge Response Passwords" chapter. Computer scientists will find some insights on authentication algorithm design patterns. For less technical readers, understanding authentication based on Ali Baba and a cave of treasures will help to sort through the authentication system requirements and peculiarities. Overall, the book (while being targeted at security professionals) contains something for almost everyone interested in how computers tell that whoever is sitting at the console is who she says she is.

Anton Chuvakin, Ph.D. is a senior security analyst with a major security company.

This is a terrific book for anyone interested in meditation and/or psychology. Dr. Waller's method of witnessing thoughts appears to be a shortcut or alternative route to the spiritual development (and ultimately self realization) that many practices teach is only avaialbe through meditation.

I would recommend reading Waller's "The Dance of the Lion and the Unicorn" first as it provides a lot of background information that is discussed in this book.

I found this book The Awakening to be one of the best books I have ever read. As a social worker, we are trained to analyze people's problems, challenge them, utilize theories such as cognitive behavioral or family systems. In fact, during job interviews, many ask what theory I belong to. If I said, " Witness Transformation" and listening to my thoughts, they would never in a million years understand. Dr. Waller takes the time to explain, educate, and make sense of how our brain reacts to certain situations. This is a must read book by any clinician and a must read book for anyone suffering from what I call "inner demons" It's not something that transforms right away because our brain has been conditioned to fall into what Dr. Waller refers to as the drama of our life's problems. This does take practice, but this book was excepetional because I could always turn back to it and remember what I was supposed to be doing, instead of fighting the drama.

The book is worth buying and reading in my opinion, and that's all the 4.5 billion of us have is opinions, although there were two aspects of it I found rather puzzling and problematic. In one breath the author liberally uses quotes from the Scriptures and Buddhist Philosophy, and in the next breath he slams Buddhism and says "I'm not particularly religious". This seems a bit oxymoronic and leaves the reader wondering exactly what his belief system is?

Secondly, Dr. Waller should read "The Mind & the Brain", by Dr. Jeffrey M. Schwartz, for a more contemporary view on volition and free will. This book summarizes the latest research and nicely ties together quantum theory, neuroplasticity, and volition. The data presented in this book flies in the face of the 1980ish no- free- will computer model of the brain that Dr. Waller seems to ascribe to. Dr. Schwartz created an effective 4 step process for rewiring the brains of OCD patients called "Relabel, Reattribute, Refocus, Revalue".

Dr. Waller's book is mainly about his practice as a marriage councilor and the chapters alternate between his patient case studies and his theories. If you're in a troubled relationship or have been in one then the book may be helpful. Overall the dialogue he uses in his case studies has an egotistical overtone and his Unicorn/Lion theory is interesting but, narrow and simplistic in the sense that he should have included a shoe horn with the book so the reader could force himself/herself into the either or category.

As far as "Witness Thought Therapy" goes, I'm always amazed at how creative western psychologist, psychiatrist, and philosophers are at coming up with a new catch phrase, in order to sell a book, for knowledge that's been available to humanity for over 2,500 years. If Buddhist used the same tactic of "renaming" they would have been zillionaires centuries ago. If you want to cut to the chase and find out what all these Ph.D.'s of wisdom are up to then read "The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching" by Thich Nhat Hanh. You could read 100 books on Buddhism and none would speak to you with the clarity which Thich Nhat Hanh is famous for.

Mark Waller is a beacon for change within his profession. From therapy to awakening, this cutting edge book is a direct, intimate pointer for those truly ready to awaken and end suffering.
~ Katie Davis, Awake Joy: The Essence of Enlightenment

This book was a gift, both physically and spiritually! When it came in the mail, I was curious, but skeptical, since my decades of study, had always been with Sages. An Awakened Ph.D.Therapist seemed too good to be true.

I had landed my first job, after graduate school, as a Psychiatric Socialworker, for Probate Court, hospitalizing individuals who were a danger to themselves or others. What I experienced, in those five years, forced me to conclude that most of these illnesses were beyond the understanding of the mental health establishment. I had my own bias, or answers, to the missing link. Medicating is sometimes necessary, but felt it was just placing a bandage on a much bigger problem. That problem being something that had been missed, and I thought would never be recognized: Thought and the Mind, in relationship to what part they played in the holistic scheme of things.

As Mark explains in his book, we should be focusing on the awakening process and Self-realization, beginning with the understanding of the brain functions.

This book is a culmination of his journey as a seeker, leading into the Awakened Therapist he is now, and heralding a new era in this field.

Combining Eastern and Western thought, plus his own experiences of awakening, he sees the transparencies of his patients.

Finding Mark, his books and actual cases of couples and individuals, experiencing what he calls, "witness consciousness" based on watching your thoughts, is, as it has been for me, the bridge to understanding what came before. A better understanding of the often esoteric writings of sages, that may not be understood well enough to put into practice.

With Mark's book, the bridge he builds, is a gift of understanding and hope, that his exercises can give each one of us the chance of experiencing the awakened state, in our lifetimes, and uncovering our true Self!

I have always wondered what it'd be like to work on a TV talk show. From a distance it seems like a glam life. Alex Richards realistically conveys the hard work, tension, & ulcer-producing behind-the-scenes toil of a talk show intern, but balances it with Gemma's fun life with her rich, sophisticated roommates. The characters are well drawn & sassy, but I also found them compassionate. And Gemma is a love. The book was fast-paced, a really enjoyable read.

Reviewed by Tabytha Joy (age 15) for Reader Views (8/07)

"Back Talk" is about a girl named Gemma who finds a job working for a talk show. Gemma is only sixteen, the youngest of all the employees. She and her friends like to get together and talk about cute boys, or their current boyfriends.

There is a pair of twins working for the talk show. All the twins do is try to get Gemma into trouble. Well, one of Gemma's favorite workmates ends up losing his job. The reason is because the twins said that the guy was sexually harassing them. Gemma doesn't believe this is true. She sets out to find the truth and to get her workmate hired back. Now, all Gemma wants to do is prove that the twins are lying.

The talk show owners decide that they want their special guest to be a child prostitute. The only problem is, the thirteen-year-old girl they find is afraid of appearing on the show as she fears that her pimp is going to kill her. Gemma meets up with this girl a few times to try to convince her that they will protect her from her pimp. She even talks to the boss for the talk show about offering more to this girl. So, the talk show boss decides to offer this girl a scholarship to a great college and promises her a good education. But will this young prostitute risk it?

In my opinion, "Back Talk" was an okay book if you like to read about talk shows. I was not too fond of all the dirty language used throughout this book. Some cursing would have been fine. But there was a bit too much. My favorite part of this book was when Gemma kicked Nick between the legs. I like how the author wrote "Ouch. The consequences were gonna need an ice pack." That part was really funny. I also enjoyed how the author chose to end the book. Not one question was left unanswered. I would recommend this book for anyone who likes a fast-paced book with a lot of excitement in it.

I had the pleasure of interviewing the author for my school newspaper and I had some very high hopes for the book. Back Talk exceeded my expectations by lightyears! It was glamorous and fun to read but still captured the nitty gritty of teen life. I finished the book the day I bought it in record time and I will probably read it again. I have to say I am envious of her characters. They are all so much fun and by the end you (as the reader) feel like you know them personally. So, all in all it was a pleasure to read. Bring on the champagne and the fake IDs! Oh, New York can be so glamorous.

First, the blurb above states that this book is for 9-12 year olds. That is a mistake - it is Young Adult fiction (so maybe grades 9-12!!). I don't recommend it for a 12 year old.

This is by far the best YA novel I have read, ever. And I am not just saying that!

It's the story of a naive 16 year old from Idaho who's in New York City for a summer internship working at a TV talk show. She's staying with some rich, glamorous friends who take her under their wing for a taste of night life and what seems to be the beginning of a great friendship too.

The characters grab you instantly -- there's the heroine, Gemma, who's journey into the fast-paced world of New York TV production is made all the more human by the insights we are given into her self doubt. She's never sure if she's quite getting the hang of this life but she follows her heart and so ends up doing the right thing. Her periodic flirtation with a dashing British student(!!!) is described with humor and tenderness.

Gemma's two friends have been born into money and status, so at first their lifestyle seems intimidating to Gemma. As they become closer, Gemma realizes that the glamor, the drinking and the sarcasm are all part of a cover up for the one thing they weren't privileged with: a loving family. The three of them bond over the summer and each comes to understand the other - it's an allegory for how the mid-west and corn-belt is so out of touch with the so-called east-coast sophisticates.

The characters and the behind-the-scenes views of the TV industry are what sets this book apart from the genre. Gemma is thrown into a crazy topsy-turvy world of hardened TV producers who have seen it all. When they find it hard to care for the people they exploit for a story, Gemma shows them all that you can be successful and still have a heart.

All in all a great read! The sarcastic humor that the narrator and the characters sling around is wickedly entertaining. The characters are well rounded and the plot is rich in detail and structure. The pace of the story keeps up right through to the end chapter, and it's hard to believe we have to leave Gemma and company to live the rest of their summer without finding out what happens next!

First time author Alex Richards shows great promise with this novel - we're all dying to see what she comes up with next.

If only my life was this fabulous at 16. As much as you want to hate on and be jealous of the trio of roommates in this book, (Gemma, America, and Dana), you will end up loving all of them. They are interning and living in NYC, two are fabulously rich, but without any of that spoiled super sweet 16 BS (OK maybe a teeny bit). The star of the novel, Gemma, is quite down to earth coming to NYC from the not so chichi countryside. Her take on interning at a trashy talk show is refreshing. Perhaps more interesting is the peek into Gemma's internship and the talk show world in general. I read online that the author once worked for a talk show type TV program, maybe we have some slightly blind itemed situations going on here. self-obsessed talk show host = egomaniac Tyra Banks? Probably not but fun to guess....

Most Oscar-related books offer only limited pictures and focus on winners, not also rans. This excellent reference volume corrects those two oversights. It is filled with pictures representing the best of Hollywood--all contenders for Oscar's Best Picture are featured with a movie poster representation. Includes some rarely seen poster art, foreign posters, and multiple sized images. Excellent reference and enjoyable volume to pick up over and over.

This beautiful collection of colorful poster art provides a history of Hollywood and American popular culture in a volume that's a delight to leaf through. As with all of Bruce Hershenson's poster books, this one is a tremendous value!

All of Bruce's books are full of wonderful images, but this one offers something extra - a history of ALL the films nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award. If you are a film buff, or you just like beautiful images you will love this book. Every year since the inception of the awards is listed and each nominee is displayed in brilliant color. A wonderful refrence source.

A must-have volume for any cine-buff and film historian! This book, along with its companion first volume, "Academy Award Winners' Movie Posters" is part of movie poster maven Bruce Hershenson's exhaustive multi-volume series of books highlighting the history and beauty of what much of mainstream America has only in the last ten years begun to recognize. And that is movie posters are a "popular art" form that can stand proudly next to all other styles of art from gothic to modern, from expressionist to impressionist. Great film art borrows from all of these styles and this volume, which focuses only on posters associated with Academy Award-nominated films, illustrates innumerable examples. A fine book for any collector (get the hardcover edition if you can, it's harder to find; if Amazon doesn't have it, it's available from Mr. Hershenson directly at mail@brucehershenson.com)!

Like all of Mr Hershenson's books of film posters, this one is full of great reproductions of classic film posters. Movie poster collecting is both popular hobby and big business. For dealers and collectors alike, Mr Hershenon's books give all those interested in the hobby and business of movie poster collecting a ready-reference to images of great film posters for great and sometimes not-so-great films.

Amazingly easy REAL common sense solutions to help yourself to better health effectively and efficiently in as little as 60-90 days. Dr. D. is WAY ahead of his time in providing the tools you need to finally FEEL GREAT. Beyond Medicine is for anyone interested in improving the quality of their life or know someone else who is...
I wish I had known about this years ago!
Sheryl M.

Dr. DiCenso has a miraculous proven technique that gives hope and help to many suffering from physical and emotional pain. The book explains constant negative thinking patterns need to drastically and immediately change and physical symptoms will change as well. These negative thought patterns are the Vicious Cycle Disorder where your own thoughts continually keep your physical symptoms alive and well. Dr. DiCenso gives a unique and successful way of changing this merry-go-round of negativity and suffering. This amazing process begins with the Matrix Assessment Profile and it offers a way to rid the constant pain and find a new positive lifestyle. He combines basic healthy everyday elements with a way to change the aggravating, twirling, self-defeating thoughts. This book is a necessity for everyone to understand the concept that we can improve and grow in a positive direction and release all of our pain into the past.

Ever more clinicians are recognizing the limitations of the biomedical model of illness and the importance of considering not only the psychological, social, subtle and spiritual components of the human organism, but also how they each change over time.

This time factor is critically important. Time runs at different speeds and even in different directions in each of these five domains. It is also important because a good healer soon learns that time management is considerably less important than energy management: time provides the structure but energy provides the dynamic power that enables our lives and the lives of our patients to flourish. While time is limited, energy is not. Or rather it should not be. But sometimes we do our best to sabotage it. Instead of relying upon contacting and using our inner energy, we steal it from other people or rely on the quick fixes of caffeine, sugar or a hundred other suboptimal solutions that leave their tracks in each of the five domains.

But underlying time and the five domains, there is a timeless, dynamic, intelligent blueprint - often called the Informational Matrix - that constantly generates the plans and strategies that keep us alive. When we lose touch with that Source we either become sick or die. Physical medicine, herbs, nutrition, postural work and energy medicine are all essential components of treatment and health maintenance, but over the last three decades, ever more therapists have been interested in doing more than treating people who have already "fallen off the cliff:" Nobody wants to move the deckchairs on the Titanic! So in addition to physical and energy medicine, there has, since the early 1980s been growing interest in "Information Medicine."

If it is indeed possible to influence the Informational Matrix, then we might be getting at the root of the problem. And that should in turn direct the subtle systems of the body. That does not mean a "get out of jail free card!" Our efforts could yet be thwarted by poor lifestyle choices, though those choices become less common as we work with people's information systems.

There is a second observation that has been known by specialists for many years, and that is the concept of the pain cycle. Many people with chronic headache or intractable back pain may no longer have any obvert physical pathology, yet the pain will not budge: they have entered a chronic pain cycle, that is probably mediated by some precise circuits in the thalamus of the brain. But you can be sure that these chronic problems have also left their imprint in the other systems of the body. The pain is not solely psychological or psychosomatic. It is as real as having a pin inserted into your forearm. It is surprising to find how few therapists have been taught about or discovered these pain cycles. And it is not just pain: many pathological patterns can establish vicious circles in the body or mind that are similar to obsessive ruminations, obsessive-compulsive thoughts or an ohrwurm that has occupied someone's mind.

The trouble is that these vicious circles can sometimes be very hard to break.

This book by Richard DiCenso is an extremely important contribution and propels the whole field of information medicine forward, with what he calls "Vicious Cycle Disorders," and his novel approaches to treating them.

Richard starts by speaking of his initial frustration about trying to treat the 20% of the population who have chronic symptoms for which there is no readily apparent cause. Sometimes these people are given an array of diagnoses or interpretations of their symptoms such as "chronic fatigue syndrome," "sub-clinical hypothyroidism," "adrenal fatigue" or "Candida infections," all of which may be present, but the underlying problem is of a life out of balance. The cutting edge of medicine is not molecular biology or brain science. They are important and knowledge about them essential. But the real progress is being made in a new science: the science of re-integration. The reintegration of mind, body and spirit.

Richard has an ambitious goal: "to develop a working mode for behaviors that lead to a life of conscious co-creation and fulfillment."

Yet his novel approaches have made these goals attainable in a unique way. First the book contains a great many useful techniques for dealing with problems like repetitive thoughts and nutritional deficiencies. Second he has devised something called a "Matrix Assessment Profile" that helps pinpoint some of the precise disturbances in the body that are causing symptoms. He has created a very informative website containing a lot of information about the evaluation and how to get it done.

Richard DiCenso has created a wonderful healing system based on the essential truth that the future of the healing arts lies in whole person therapy.

Highly recommended.


Richard G. Petty, MD, author of Healing, Meaning and Purpose: The Magical Power of the Emerging Laws of Life

Dr. Richard Dicenso has written a very thought provoking book that explores healing and illness from a truly holistic model. His perspective encompasses not only the physical manifestations of imbalance, but also the too often ignored realms of emotion, consciousness and spirit. This is a book that you will want to read more than once because it is filled with wisdom and insight. I found this book very inspiring and a source of hope as well as practical guidance for all those seeking to achieve balance and wellness in their lives. Dr. Dicenso's book is one of the best books on healing that I have ever read.

Beyond Medicine is THE BOOK for our times and especially for the doctors and patients of the USA who have been brought up to believe that fixing illness is no more sophisticated than treating symptoms much as "Click and Clack the Tapet Brothers" might listen to the symptoms of a dysfunctional car and come up with a diagnosis on their National Public Radio program. It is vindication for all of those suffering from symptoms for which there seems to be no overt cause. It affirms the incredible complexity and mystery that is the human experience and gives hope to sufferers by outlining a matrix of considerations and activities that may treat the causes of disease instead of merely addressing the complaints. If you are interested in health, either yours or others, this book is a must read.

I haven't read it all yet, but everything I have read I understand fully. You also find some pretty interesting stuff.

This is a valuabale study tool. It includes outlines of every book, a synopsis of every chapter along with notes to references that need clarification. There are also lots of illustrations, maps and other helps for anyone on any level who is reading God's word. It is easy to understand, but goes deep enough for the serious student.

this is a great book
what ta tool for studying the word of god
cross referance and facts
high points
themes
just so easy to use
love it

The Bible Reader's Companion is a very nice concise overview of the Bible with numerous black & white drawings. The comments are interesting and the conclusions are generally conservative and traditional. If you like this book you may also enjoy THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE BOOK OF PROVERBS by Cody Jones. Numerous biblical characters are pointed out who illustrate King Solomon's witty observations on human nature.

I have owned this book since 1991 when I first became a Christian and have returned to it over and over again when I need more information or an explanation for Scripture. The book is well laid out, with commentary and application. It is written in a down to earth way, making it easy for anyone to understand. This is one book I would NOT be without! I love it!

Roseanne shipped this book by priority mail, and even gift-wrapped it! The book arrived in like new condition, just as it was described. I would highly recommend Rosie for her professionalism, and for her thoughfulness in sending an e-mail indicating that the book had been shipped!

When you lack a framework it's very difficult to understand anything. The interesting decorations of a home would mean nothing if there were no framework to attatch them too! This is what this book has done for me, given me a framework to attach these stories too. Many of the stories in the bible come to life when you know and understand what happened before and after and how the people who had the experiences might have thought. It really has brought to life the power of God for me and his complete plan from the beginning of the Bible to the end! I would recommend this to any level of Christian. I have been a Christian for 15 years and this has been an excellent tool for both learning and better equiping me to witness.

Wonderful! I used it a lot when teaching my sunday school class the big picture of the Bible. Great book!

I'm enjoying this book so much because it gives key points and lessons so clearly that it makes me eager to learn and know more. It has made me eager to read my bible again.

Cute icons, study questions, direct verse references, and opinions from the top Bible experts in the world all add together to equal one of the greatest Biblical-study and reference texts ever. No other book that I have seen can match The Bible: God's Word for the Biblically-Inept for it's insight on confusing areas of the Bible and its easy-to understand language and design. This book has been a marvelous addition to my Bible-study group. We just can't wait to get started on Revelation and Daniel.

Brainscape, chapter II, page 37; 2.5 m. neurons per minutes are produces during prenatal life. Now take the book "The Amazing Brain", by Mr.Ornstein and Mr.Thompson, chapter 3,page 68, it says, "250,000 per minute" neurons during the development of a human fetus. Obviusly, I prefer your version Mr. Restak, it means much more neurons to spend during our life time without impairment. But, I just want to know who is right, because both of you can't be right and here we are talking about a huge contradiction regarding the neural theories explaining our future possibilities before birth. There is a legitimate intention to educate through these books, that is why I read them, but now I can't stay with this doubt created by these kind of books. Please educate me, and it would be an honor if Mr.Restak of any of his staff could answer this neurological dichotomy. Thank you very much for your attention.

This book is a simple overview about the subject of contemporary neuroscience. It is not intended for senior students or professionals. However, it is a good book for amateurs, since it was written in simple lauguage. It also gives a sense to beginning students about what they are actually studying. Since the author is a neurologist, this book has been adopted an extreme neurological veiwpoint as references to all human behaviors. Readers should be cautious about this; however, it is nevertheless one important way to look at human behaviors. Also, the book is a good buy and should worth a bargain.

I have recommended this book to many a patient, as well as professional colleagues interested in getting "up to speed" with brain basics. Scientifically sound, and very readable, anyone interested in the brain will find this introductory book enjoyable and to the point. May I suggest "The Care and Feeding of Your Brain" for ways to tune up your own brain...Ken Giuffre' MD

This little green book is a definite must-have addition to any neuroscientist, educator, or anyone interested in the brain. Restak is a good writer, and not only weaves his words well, but uses the writings of others outside the field to make understanding the complicated workings of the brain understandable to someone who is just being introduced to it. I've used this particular book in several papers on deafness and cognition, and every once in a while I pick it up and reread parts of it (usually that I marked) that bear remembering. Certainly Restak is a remarkable writer, and thus probably a remarkable teacher. I wish I had had someone like him in Neuroscience...it would have helped tremendously to have someone so in love with his topic that he wants everyone to understand it. We need more science teachers and science writers like him to encourage young people to consider science as a possible career. And perhaps maybe if more people understood the brain, they would quit treating their own brains without regard to the damage they are doing to it by using drugs and alcohol, or misusing prescription drugs. Karen L. Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh, klsst23@pitt.edu

Written for the layman, this slim (135 pages) volume by a neurologist is a very up to date and comprehensive review of what we know about the brain, its functional structure, the role of neurotransmitters and even a bit about the nature of conciousness.

Like Oliver Sachs, Restak focuses much of his attention on pathology, since not only is it the focus of neurologists, it also tells us quite a lot about the functional organization of the brain. Unlike Sachs, Restak delves deeply into the actual neuopathologies, the cells, the transmitters and the structure of the brain. While the level of detail is relatively superficial from a neuroanatomical point of view, the descriptions are still accurate and detailed; this would have been a nice introductory book to have for my first physiological psychology courses back in grad school.

As well as being an excellent teacher, Restak is an excellent storyteller. Each chapter reads like a good adventure, leading us through the neural pathways, or like a mystery, tracing the history of a particular neuropathology. If you enjoy the medical detective stories of Berton Rouche, or the essays of Lewis Thomas, you'll find much to interest you here.

Hold it right, there. Hold it: right there. That's it!

Okay, I know I'm being a bit obtuse about it, but honestly this is not an easy book to review. So, I will share with you what I can with the hope it is helpful.

Unusually wonderful things do happen. This is an unusually wonderful book, a genuine holy relic.

I have this from good sources: Yes, it's a good idea to bring this book into your life, even if you don't intend to read it, if you are willing to treat the book with the utmost care: "guard it like your eyes". And yes, if you have established for yourself a stable foundation of devotion and proper motivation and meditation, dig in and read.

Dudjom Rinpoche, and Dudjom Lingpa before him, were supremely talented and capable beings. Prophets and discoverers of the most valuable of treasures. This text is such a treasure.

The translators are the real deal, too.

Be ready. Hold it, right, there.

May all beings benefit!

This is an excellent translation. Even more so: an excellent written testament to one's own realization. However, to the uninitiated, it is not useful. If one has not yet trekked the path of Guatama, then I would recommend not yet getting this translation: it will not be appreciated for its essential value to one's own understanding. In other words, this is not a book to read like a novel, but a resource to confirm your own individual realization and/or to help clarify some blank spots in your meditation on certain aspects. If you have not yet attained this level, post this book in your toolbox in the future.

The title of the book gives wrong impression that it is a book for a beginner who is lazy to do meditational practice.But actually it is a book for an advanced practitioner who practice atiyoga tantra called Nangjang (Refining one's perception). To actually benefit this reading, one must receive empowerment, oral transmission, and teachings from a qualified Dzogchen master.
If you have received Dzogchen transmission, then this book is one that you must read because the brevity of its pith instructions (men ngag de) on cutting the views (tregchod).
This book is structured by the direct revelation from the various Dzogchen deities to Dudjom Lingpa, a great meditational master from Nyingma tradition. It is said that the approach is so powerful that even hearing it read aloud ensures the listener will eventually escape the suffering of samsara.

Let me preface this by stating that of course this is an important book, and a translator's job is never easy.

That said, this book benefits from having the original Tibetan available, but suffers from a overly wordy phenomenologically influenced style of translation. Frankly, I have to read the Tibetan to understand what the translator is trying to convey in English

In general, a problem endemic with translations of Dzogchen texts is that the translators often unncessarily make what is relatively straight forward language in Tibetan a conceptual mess in English in their attempt to convey the meaning of Dzogchen into English.

As the subtitle of this book points out, the intent of these visionary accounts is to subtly alter one's awareness of phenomena. The text consists of discrete dream visions recounted by Dudjom Lingpa (1835-1904) in which he posed a question to appearing deities and received a clarification on each particular point. This text pertains to the category of Direct Transmission within the Great Perfection tradition. As such, one receives great benefit simply from its meaning.

The text starts by pointing out the definitive conclusion that one must reach regarding four topics: ineffability, oneness, openness, and spontaneous presence. Dudjom Rinpoche provides a further breakdown of the topic of ineffability, highlighting the need to come to a definitive conclusion regarding personal identity and the identity of phenomena. For modern students this emphasis is perhaps the most important aspect of this book, as it is in exactly these two manifestations of the error of "identity" that most students find themselves stuck. Especially for students raised in the modern American culture with its emphasis on self-independence, self-interest, and self-aggrandizement, this introductory lesson is most beneficial.

Moving beyond the error of positing a "self" underlying "I", Dudjom Rinpoche then tackles the error of imputing identity of phenomena. This error, that particular things are real, is another great stumbling block to reaching clarity.

The text then consists of the dream teachings received by Dudjom Rinpoche in which that definitive conclusion is refined by dispelling remaining misunderstandings.

The book consists of the original text and its english translation, presented in a side-by-side (facing page) format, followed by Dudjom Rinpoche's excellent structural analysis epitomizing the text, followed by an expansive glossary of Tibetan terms, which alone is of great value.

This text is the personal teaching of Dudjom Rinpoche, and one can gain great merit and reach clarity by studying this text and its transmitted meaning.

James Corrigan
An Introduction to Awareness